Rain
by bruised-tears
Summary: When the civilised world comes to an end, it's not the nice girls who are likely to survive. The survivors stumble across a strange girl and they come to realise that they may need her a lot more than she needs them. And one rough redneck in particular
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Don't own (although I'd love to have my very own Norman Reedus :D) don't sue!

Lyrics are from 'Rain' by Patty Griffin

There will be plenty of Andrea and Lori bashing in this. I really don't like the pair of them at all, they're the most selfish characters ever invented always getting people into danger because of their stupidity. Generally a Daryl/OC fic but there might be a little bit of Rick/OC too because he's too lovely not to.

**Rain**

**Chapter One**

It's hard to listen to a hard, hard heart  
>Beatin' close to mine<br>Poundin' up against the stone and steel  
>Walls that I won't climb<br>Sometimes a hurt is so deep, deep, deep  
>You think that you're gonna drown<br>Sometimes all I can do is weep, weep, weep  
>With all this rain fallin' down<br>Strange, how hard it rains now  
>Rows and rows of big dark clouds<br>When I'm holding on underneath this shroud  
>Rain<br>It's hard to know when to give up the fight  
>Some things you want will just never be right<br>It's never rained like it has tonight before  
>Now, I don't wanna beg you, baby<br>For something maybe you could never give  
>I'm not lookin' for the rest of your life<br>I just want another chance to live  
>Strange, how hard it rains now<br>Rows and rows of big dark clouds  
>When I'm holdin' on underneath this shroud<br>Rain

_Here's the thing… I don't get on with people. I don't like people. In fact I used to make my living executing people. For a price. A very good price. Of course when all hell broke loose, my hard earned money did very little to keep me alive. Quite simply, the world wasn't prepared for the apocalypse. The innocent made sacrifices that amounted to nothing in the end, giving your life to save your child was pointless when that child wouldn't survive for more than a week without you. It was people like me who were left. Survivors. Ruthless and selfish… only out for number one. It was sad actually. In my opinion life was now quite brutally divided into Before and After, and my life Before had helped to prepare me for my life After. Most other people weren't that lucky. _

Kind of like the walker who was between Cassidy and her car. She'd been blonde once, probably pretty in a wispy kind of way. She could tell by the ripped and stained pink blouse and white slacks that she was probably a soccer mom. She'd been bitten on the neck, the wound was grotesquely swollen and riveted with welts as if she'd scratched at it wildly.

"Sorry lady." Cassidy muttered, lining her up in the crosshairs.

It wasn't really moving, sort of swaying aimlessly as if it was assessing which direction to take. There was no wind, just the burning hot sun beating down mercilessly on Cassidy's head. Cassidy reached up and swung her ball-cap around so the peak shaded her neck instead of casting shadows on her line of sight. Compared to some of the hits she'd taken before, she could have done this in her sleep. She squeezed the trigger. The walker crumpled without a sound. Her rifle was almost silent, the best on the market before the market had vanished along with the rest of civilisation. Excellent for assassinations when you had to stay under the radar. It also broke down into several compact pieces in only a few well practised moves, perfect when you need a quick escape.

Cassidy slung the cloth bag containing the rifle over her shoulder, grabbed the duffel bag loaded with the supplies she'd just looted, and headed down the incline towards her car. Her car and her rifle were the only things that remained from Before. She'd never used her red '69 Mustang on jobs, it was too distinctive. As soon as all hell had broken loose she'd gone straight to her storage unit and retrieved it. She dropped her bags into the back seat and started up the engine.

She had only just pulled onto the highway when what sounded, and felt, like an explosion shook the eerily peaceful morning. Adrenaline surged through her system and her foot automatically stomped on the gas. She jerked the wheel, fighting to calm her pounding heart. She could see smoke billowing in the rearview mirror. She was so busy scanning the area for walkers attracted to the noise that she didn't even see the overturned truck until she slammed straight into it.

* * *

><p>Cassidy groaned groggily. Her head felt like someone had played volleyball with an anvil inside it. She blinked and pushed away from the steering wheel where she'd been sprawled. Her ribs hurt like a bitch but the airbag had absorbed most of the shock. She put a hand to her head and it came back bloody. Great. It took her a moment to realise that the noisy wailing was the alarm on her Mustang. Instinct snapped into place and she yanked a flick-knife out of the strap attached to her ankle and severed the wires. The wailing cut off abruptly but she knew she had to get moving before the walkers arrived. She could only hope that the explosion had distracted any nearby.<p>

It wasn't until she clambered out of the wrecked car that she realised how bad her head must be. She staggered and fell onto one knee, suddenly woozy. She shook her head a few times to clear it and managed to get back onto her feet. The car was totalled and she was mortified to find tears stinging her eyelids. The blow to her head must have been worse than she thought. She never cried. She scrubbed her eyes with the back of her hand, spreading blood on her forehead. She retrieved her bags from the backseat and popped the trunk. There was plenty of food and some water looted on her travels, a few changes of clothes and a couple of personal items she wasn't quite sure why she kept.

She lingered longer than she should have but saying goodbye to her car was more painful than parting with a child. She'd only gone a few steps when the sight of a group of people brought her up short. She crouched down low amongst the long grass. It took her a moment of careful consideration before she realised that they weren't walkers, they moved too precisely and she could hear the faint murmur of their voices. She stood up and would have headed in the opposite direction if a whistle hadn't halted her in her tracks. A man stood a few feet away, a crossbow levelled at her head. He was just as scruffy and stained as everyone she'd encountered but his piercing blue eyes bore straight into her. She lifted her hands slowly, indicating that she didn't have a weapon. After an interminably long time he lowered the crossbow. The group of people had reached them now and they fell silent at the sight of her.

They eyed her warily. She wasn't tall but she certainly wasn't short either. She had a thick head of hair the colour of treacle, streaked with dirt and grime and sweat, curling in waves like a mane under a black ball cap. Her face was finely boned with small neat features emphasised by huge green eyes fringed by long thick lashes, which were currently flickering over them all carefully. Her plump lips were pulled into a frown. She skipped right over most of them, her gaze fixing on Rick, Shane and back to Daryl one after the other. Daryl's tense posture did not ease. She was assessing which of them were most likely to pose a threat. Part of him relaxed a little, a hunter recognising a hunter. She was small and compact but he had the feeling she packed a hell of a punch, her bare arms were wound tightly with tensed muscles as though she expected them to spring at her. She was in a black vest top, skin tight and stained with blood and dust, and jeans that must once have been tight but were slightly loose now that she'd lost weight. There were rips at both knees and, when she turned at the sound of Glenn's voice behind her, a rip just under her left buttock that exposed her black lacy underwear. She might have lost weight but she'd lost none of her muscle tone, Daryl noted as she retrieved her bag from the dusty ground and slung it over her shoulder. Glenn skidded to a halt when he saw her, then his gaze touched her Mustang.

"Whoa."

She gave him an appraising look, apparently deciding that he posed no significant threat.

"It's totalled." She informed him flatly.

She hitched her bag further up her shoulder, tipped her cap in a thoroughly sarcastic salute and turned her back on them. They stared after her then Shane, who was closest, jogged a few steps to catch up to her. Andrea, ignoring the warning look Daryl sent her, followed. Glenn and Carol exchanged a look and then moved to join them. Daryl sighed irritably and followed.

"I don't need your help." She was insisting, glaring up at Shane as he blocked her path.

"If she don't want our help, leave her." Daryl snapped, shouldering his crossbow.

She slanted her green gaze around Shane to take him in. He met her gaze with one of his best sneers. She wasn't affected.

"We're in the middle of nowhere." Shane pointed out, indicating the rolling fields surrounding them. "It'll take you hours to find somewhere to hole up for the night. At least come with us until morning."

She stared at him silently. After a long pause she gave an abrupt nod. She lingered at the back of the group as they made their way back to the farm. Daryl kept one eye on her and another on their surroundings. He did not trust her one bit, unlike their little group he knew perfectly well that she was dangerous. He also knew that that rifle in her bag was not for hunting deer. Andrea had fallen back a little and she found herself besides the stranger.

"So you gave in pretty easily." She said bluntly, never one for small talk. "Is that all it took, a few words from a big strong Deputy?"

The stranger didn't look at her, just kept her gaze fixed firmly on her surroundings.

"Don't worry blondie, I'm not after your man. He's not my type."

Andrea stopped dead in the middle of the path, then took a few hurried steps to catch her up again. Daryl was only half listening but he found himself giving a grim smile. So she was as good as he suspected. It had only taken her a few moments to suss out the dynamics right in front of her.

"I don't know what you're talking about." Andrea hissed, her pale cheeks flaming.

Now the stranger did look at her and there was something akin to pity in her dark green eyes.

"Then you're an idiot." She gestured around them. "We're at the end of the world… there isn't time for pussyfooting around. You have to take what you want or get over it."

Andrea let out a strangled gasp and grabbed hold of the girl's arm in her anger. The girl stopped abruptly but Daryl had the sense that she'd stopped of her own accord, not because Andrea had forced her to. She looked at the blonde evenly.

"Honey, I don't know you… and I don't particularly care to, but if you ever put your hands on me again…" She gave Andrea such a sweet beatific smile, lit with malice, that the blonde drew back as if she'd slapped her. "I'll break your scrawny neck."

Andrea's red cheeks paled visibly and her brow darkened but before she could say anything, Daryl stepped between them. He gave her a look that clearly told her now was not the time for a cat fight and Andrea flounced off after the others. The girl looked at him coolly and then continued on the path.

"You're not a people person, are ya?"

She looked briefly amused and then she shook her head.

"Hell no." She said firmly, as if she was pleased at his assumption. "At least now the world's in the crapper I don't have to pretend anymore."

"You don't strike me as the kinda gal who pretends to make other folk happy."

She grinned at him and this smile was so completely different from the one she'd given Andrea that he was a little taken aback. It was soft and sensual, wickedness oozing from the slightest hint of one raised corner.

"Cassidy." She offered out of the blue.

"Daryl." He finally replied after staring at her in contemplative silence for a while. "You don't sound like you're from around here."

She shot him an amused sidelong glance.

"Personal questions? Not what I expected." He didn't reply, he was looking at the woods they were entering. "England."

He grunted, lowering his crossbow and gripping it firmly in both hands, his blue eyes darting into the foliage around them.

"Long way from home." He murmured absently, his gaze fixed intently on the trees around them.

"I was working."

They were talking absently now, both focused on the danger around them, conversing without thinking about it. It had been such a long time Cassidy was quite pleased to be talking at all. Humans were social creatures by nature. Even the walkers grouped together.

"Doing what?"

It was only a brief movement but Daryl saw her hand tightening a fraction on the bag carrying her rifle. It didn't seem like she realised her reaction and if Daryl hadn't been keeping such a close eye on her he would have missed it. People didn't realise how much Daryl actually noticed.

"I think I have a copy of my CV around. I'll fax it" She deadpanned without looking at him, peering intently into the trees to their right where she thought she'd seen a shadow move. "Does it really matter now?"

He flicked a glance at her. As they moved quickly and silently through the trees towards the farm, she offered him small details of her survival so far. He listened without comment, in fact she wasn't even sure that he was listening, but he took everything in.

"You're not just a redneck with a crossbow, are you?" She commented suddenly as they finally reached the boundary where the farm's land began.

He met her gaze with a shit-eating grin that made her lips twitch irresistibly upwards. She jerked her head towards the figures assembling on the farmhouse porch.

"They under the impression you're just some dumb hick with a penchant for high-powered weapons?"

She reached out and trailed one fingertip along the shaft of the arrow loaded into the crossbow. He snorted with something like laughter. The group were all looking their way expectantly.

"More fool them." She shot him a dazzling grin and followed the others towards the farmhouse.

* * *

><p>It was alright here, she guessed. Little bit creepy though. She supposed normal people would find the farmhouse charming and pretty much heavenly compared to the world out there. She couldn't think of anything more depressing than living like this, except maybe small town suburbia, even Before. People found haunted out houses scary, she found this homey small farming town creepy as hell. Still, she was grateful for a shower and a bed for the first time in weeks.<p>

After using said shower, she set about exploring. She had a routine and taking note of all the exits was part of it. She was sharing a room with Maggie for the time being. She placed her still packed bags besides the door and the bag with her rifle in besides the window. Maggie observed her curiously but didn't comment as she told her to help herself to anything she needed. She stared at herself in the mirror above her vanity table for a long time. She'd changed almost beyond recognition. Actually, she was almost back to her real self. She used all sorts of disguises for jobs she'd worked. This was what she really looked like. She saw a pale face with distinct cheekbones dusted with freckles framed by a mane of unruly golden-red hair that shone now it was finally clean again. The bruise on her forehead was a riot of yellow and purple surrounding the nasty gash Hershel had stitched up for her a few hours ago.

"You look like shit." She told her reflection sternly.

She sighed and moved away from the mirror to get dressed. It had been so long since she'd been clean and free of blood that she was a lot paler than she remembered, tanned from the bright hot sun but paler than she had thought. She pondered her miniscule wardrobe and then settled on the jeans she'd already been wearing. They were still her favourite pair from Before even if they were a bit ratty and falling to pieces, she'd worn them in to perfection. She pulled on a pale yellow halter-neck, which was the cleanest thing in her bag, and slipped on a black and white chequered shirt over the top. It was starting to get dark. She hesitated and then tucked her 9mm into the back of her jeans, tugging both the halter-neck and the shirt out to hide the bulge. The metal was reassuringly cold against her bare skin.

She peered out of the window. She could see the makeshift camp set up by the barn, the RV and the tents clustered close together. She could see the bitchy blonde talking to an older guy with a ridiculous hat on by the RV. Carol was talking to a woman with long dark hair. Shane was watching the woman closely. She sighed and turned away. Even after the whole country has gone to shit, there was still enough drama around to stuff a dozen romcoms with. She wandered around the house, padding on bare feet. She was enjoying the minor freedom. Even Before she'd rarely worn shoes inside unless she was on a job. It had been a long time since she'd felt safe enough to go back to old habits. She avoided the kitchen where the inhabitants of the house were discussing something in low serious voices. As she was passing by a closed door she paused at the sound of whimpering. Her hand went automatically to the gun at her back. She glanced around but the hallway was deserted.

She pushed the door open with her free hand. The room was dimly lit by a bedside lamp but she could see all the nooks and crannies. They were all empty. A figure lay in the bed, a boy. He was the one whimpering. She studied him for a long tense moment but she saw no sign that he'd been bitten. He wasn't feverish just very pale and as far as she could tell, the whimpering was due to nothing more than a nightmare.

She was not a maternal woman. She didn't like kids. She'd planned on having some eventually, way into the future when she'd hit thirty, given up the life and settled down. She looked out into the hallway again for some help. Still deserted. She took a deep breath then crossed the room and patted the boy's hand. He wriggled in his sleep. There was a chair besides the bed and she sank into it uncertainly. What did one do in situations like this? She brushed the boy's dark hair from his forehead, wrinkled from the nightmare.

She couldn't sing. At all. She didn't have any soothing words to say to this complete stranger. There wasn't a cold compress around to apply lovingly to his forehead. She was at a loss. Just as she had determined to leave and find someone, the boy stirred and his blue eyes took her in. She was a little concerned that he might scream or something but he merely looked at her as she withdrew her hand.

"You were having a nightmare." She told him pointlessly.

He nodded and appraised her again with calm bright blue eyes.

"I'm Carl." He said, lifting one small pale hand towards her.

"Cassidy." She found herself grinning as she shook his hand. "Pulling a sickie?"

He lowered the blankets enough to expose the swathes of bandages thick around his stomach.

"I got shot." He shrugged when she frowned in surprise. "It was an accident. I heard you when you got here. You were up near the highway." She nodded. "Did you see a girl anywhere?"

Cassidy stared at him. Weird question much? She shook her head slowly, feeling an unexpected flicker of pity in her stomach when something darkened in his bright eyes. He looked down at his hands and then back up at her.

"You're hurt."

Cassidy touched her bruised forehead automatically.

"I totalled my car. I think I crushed my lungs too." She gave him a rueful wink. "I'd show you those bruises but I think you're too young for that."

He blushed as red as he could when he'd obviously lost a lot of blood.

"How about my next birthday. Will you show me then?"

Cassidy had the feeling the kid was teasing her and she laughed. Surprisingly, she liked this kid.

"I think the bruises will have healed by then. I'll make you a deal, Carl." She leaned towards him until her hair brushed his bare arm. "I have a scar from a long time ago. When you're eighteen, I'll show you and I'll tell you how I got it. You're the only one who'll know."

The scar was actually an appendix scar near her hip but what the hell.

"I don't know if I'll make it to eighteen." He said seriously.

"Sure you will." She tossed at him. "Not many people are strong enough to survive a shot to the gut. Hurts like a bitch, too."

He grinned when she cursed but he didn't look entirely displeased. She got the feeling he got treated like a kid a lot. A figure appeared in the open doorway and she jumped up, the chair falling backwards with a bang.

"Hey Dad, hey Mom." Carl said quite cheerfully.

Cassidy stood there in silence as a tall attractive man in a sheriff's uniform and the woman with dark hair filed into the room. The woman went over to the bed immediately and took her son's hand, glaring at Cassidy. She glared right back. Now this was more familiar territory. The man thrust out his hand.

"Rick."

She shook it.

"Cassidy."

They stood there awkwardly, the hostility from the woman quite tangible in the small room.

"He was having a nightmare." She eventually offered.

"We were talking." Carl piped up from the bed, his big blue eyes fixed earnestly on his father. "She's cool, dad."

Rick and Cassidy exchanged a look, apparently both amused at the fact that she was deemed "cool".

"I'm Lori." The woman said, getting up from the bed and coming to stand besides her husband.

Cassidy got the hint. She was marking her territory. She returned her hostile look quite dispassionately. Rick was definitely hot but she was not on the lookout for a fling, especially not one that would come hand in hand with breaking up a marriage. Rick was thanking her for talking to Carl when she sensed someone at the door behind her. Shane cast a rather large shadow on them but Carl lit up to see him.

"Shane!" Carl pointed at her and there was a definite pink tinge to his cheeks. "Tell mom how cool Cassidy is. She doesn't trust her."

"Observant kid." Cassidy said into the embarrassed silence that followed.

Lori glared at her again. What was her problem? Fine. It had been a while since high school but Cassidy could be quite the bitch when she put her mind to it.

"So you're Rick's deputy?" She asked Shane in a sweet honeyed voice.

Shane nodded but didn't reply. She could tell from the look on his face that Rick had no idea something had happened between his wife and his friend. Polite conversation followed between them but she kept her gaze on Lori. When Cassidy took her leave of them, she was pretty sure Lori knew that Cassidy knew her dirty little secret. Carl called out to her as she was closing the door behind her.

"Did you mean it? About the deal?"

He'd gone pink again. She'd never had someone have a crush on her before, especially not a kid. But he was sweet and pretty cool for an eight year old.

"Sure thing, kid." She grinned at him. "So long as you keep your end of the deal."

The three adults in the room were peering at them curiously but she wasn't going to tell. The boy looked happier than he had when she'd first come into the room anyway.

* * *

><p>Cassidy had no doubt that she was the topic under discussion. They were all grouped in the living room talking intently. That bitchy blonde was almost shouting. She had a pretty good idea what her opinion was. She'd saved them the trouble and left the room without them asking and was currently curled up on the porch swing, one bare leg propped up against the railing swinging the seat gently. There was a gentle cool breeze breaking through the hot humid night air. She felt surprisingly content. Which was pretty dangerous. You got comfortable, you got sloppy.<p>

Cassidy tensed when she felt something in the dark beyond the reach of the porch light. Just as she reached for her gun, the figure stepped into the light and she exhaled.

"Skulk much?" She snapped as Daryl mounted the porch steps. "You're lucky I didn't shoot your ass."

He surveyed her in silence, propping one hip against the railing and folding his arms across his chest. The sound of raised voices made his eyes drift over her head to the window behind her.

"Why aren't you at the mother's meeting?" She went back to swinging the seat. "Don't you have an opinion on whether to invite me to join your little gang of ragtag individuals?"

He chuckled.

"Do I look like the kind of guy who goes to meetings?"

Cassidy grinned. There was something distinctly attractive about him as he slouched back against the porch railing, the warm light from the window bathing him in golden highlights. He wasn't really her type. She liked the successful types; suits and gleaming hair and an air of superiority, she liked seeing their arrogance dissolve into lusty need which inevitably became frantic phone messages and emails when she'd had enough of them. Total power trip. Of course that was Before.

She studied him through her lashes. He was very sexy. That mop of unruly brown hair, the scruffy dark stubble, the piercing blue eyes that felt like they were boring holes straight through her. The slightly plump lower lip pulled up into a smirk. The light reflected off his well built arms, slick with a sheen of sweat from whatever he'd been doing. She wondered what he'd been doing and felt heat flush up her throat.

He knew she was studying him. He had no problem with that. It meant he could study her without being on the lookout for a kick to the crotch or a sharp right hook. She was hot. No doubt about that. It wasn't just because of the total lack of available women around nowadays; he'd considered Andrea once or twice but he couldn't take the whining that would inevitably follow, Lori was wound too tight trying to keep Rick from finding out about Shane, the farm chick was pretty hot but no one had really stirred his blood for a while. She did. She was reclining back on the swing-seat, her head leaning against the cushions and exposing her long slender white throat. Her hair tumbled down over her bare shoulders, revealed in the rather hideous halter-top she was wearing. She'd changed out of the jeans and into a pair of white shorts which must have been somebody else's at some point because they were a little too tight. One leg was curled under her and the other was stretched out alongside him, her bare foot propped against the railing.

When they'd finished eyeing each other she laughed. Daryl glanced up again. The meeting must be over because they were scattering. Andrea swung open the front door. She came up short when she saw the two of them. She shot them both a poisonous glare and stomped off towards the RV. Rick followed her out.

"What's the verdict, Sheriff?" Cassidy drawled in a thoroughly unconcerned voice.

Rick glanced at Daryl who remained there silently, clearly not intending to leave any time soon.

"If you want to stay with us, you're welcome to. For as long as you like." Rick said with a grin.

Daryl watched Cassidy but her face was entirely expressionless. She could have been listening to a weather report for all the interest she showed.

"Carl was pretty adamant about voting in your favour." Rick's face was alight, as it always was when he spoke about this son, and his grin was entirely genuine.

Daryl couldn't remember the last time Rick had smiled without forcing it. Not that he kept track but Rick had been understandably miserable since Sophia went missing and Carl got shot. Rick glanced at Daryl again and then excused himself.

"Are you going to stand there all night?" Cassidy asked.

"Just trying to figure you out, lady."

She cocked her head to the side. He'd never seen eyes that green before. Like cat eyes. He was a pretty simple man, he had no problems admitting his needs and he wouldn't make excuses for them. She stretched her leg out further until her ankle brushed his hand where it gripped the railing.

"Figure me out?"

"Your angle. You don't need us. You look like you've been doing just fine on ya own out there. So why you here?"

She looked past him, out into the dark surrounding fields. After a moment he realised that she wasn't going to answer him. She dug into the pocket of her shorts. He tried not to stare when she arched her back to get into the pocket in the tight shorts and exposed a tantalizing glimpse of her smooth navel. She lit a cigarette and tossed him the pack.

"I never smoked Before." She commented as she took a drag.

"Not really the right time to start. There's a sorta shortage."

She grinned and lifted her eyebrows at the unexpected joke.

"Desperate times."

He tossed the pack back at her.

"Why do you stay?" She asked abruptly, turning his own interrogation back onto him.

Just as she had ignored his question, he kept silent. After a moment he realised she wasn't looking at him, she was looking past him and up at the sky.

"It's a full moon." She murmured and in the flare of her cigarette he could see her brow was wrinkled and she was frowning thoughtfully.

She got suddenly to her feet and the light camaraderie they had encountered vanished immediately. She took a step towards the edge of the porch, her lips pursed and her eyes very bright in the dark.

"How long until sunrise?" She asked without looking at him. Her gaze was fixed firmly on the darkness beyond the farm. "Best guess."

He had no idea what was going on but he decided to go with it.

"Five or six hours maybe. Give or take."

"There's something I have to do." She wheeled on her bare heel and stalked back into the house.

Daryl was completely baffled, even more so when she re-emerged fully dressed. She'd pulled on her Dr Martens again and they added an inch to her height. She'd gone with a pair of rather filthy black leggings and a black long-sleeved sweater and her bright hair was tucked up under her ball cap. He was startled to see the bag with her rifle on her back and a wicked looking hunting knife strapped to her thigh.

"Where are you going?" She ignored him and strode straight off the porch. "You can't go prancing off into the woods in the pitch dark. You're going to end up as some walker's midnight snack."

She kept going and he had to pace after her to continue the argument in a relatively low voice.

"I'm perfectly capable of looking after myself." She said calmly. "I made a promise."

He was thoroughly annoyed at how cryptic she was being but he clearly couldn't persuade her to stop. They both halted as they reached the edge of the trees.

"Not coming, then." It was hardly a question, it was hardly even a statement.

There was something almost provoking in her eyes and Daryl bristled. He was, however, not stupid. He had no intention of going into those woods in the middle of the night. He didn't even like being this close without his crossbow.

"Too bad, darlin'." He sighed, eyeing her up and down. "What a waste."

She grinned that wicked grin again, leaning towards him until he could smell the coconut scent of her newly washed hair.

"Well maybe if I make it back…" She trailed off thoughtfully.

Before he could comment she'd disappeared into the trees.


	2. Chapter 2

Lyrics are from 'Rain' by Patty Griffin

**Rain**

**Chapter Two**

It's hard to listen to a hard, hard heart  
>Beatin' close to mine<br>Poundin' up against the stone and steel  
>Walls that she won't climb<br>Sometimes a hurt is so deep, deep, deep  
>You think that you're gonna drown<br>Sometimes all she can do is weep, weep, weep  
>With all this rain fallin' down<br>Strange, how hard it rains now  
>Rows and rows of big dark clouds<br>When I'm holding on underneath this shroud  
>Rain<br>It's hard to know when to give up the fight  
>Some things you want will just never be right<br>It's never rained like it has tonight before  
>Now, she don't wanna beg you, baby<br>For something maybe you could never give  
>I'm not lookin' for the rest of your life<br>I just want another chance to live  
>Strange, how hard it rains now<br>Rows and rows of big dark clouds  
>When I'm holdin' on underneath this shroud<br>Rain

"And you just let her go?"

"I ain't the lady's keeper. I wasn't stoppin' her if she took it into her head to do somethin' stupid."

"She can't go wandering around the woods in the middle of the night-"

"She'll probably end up leading them back here."

"If she hasn't been eaten by now."

"That's not helpful, Andrea."

Cassidy paused on the edge of the trees, slightly startled by the bright sun suddenly slanting into her eyes. She was exhausted and running mainly on adrenaline, but she'd kept her promise which was the main thing. Lochie stumbled to a stop besides her, panting and trying to catch her breath. Her ink black hair was tumbled all over her heart-shaped face and her grey eyes were confused when she saw Cassidy standing so still. Lochie might act like it, but she wasn't technically her sister. They'd stumbled across each other on a job a few years back and she'd become the closest thing to a friend she'd ever had. She was crashing at her place when the apocalypse hit. Lochie was pretty much a petty thief and sometime grifter but she had a good heart.

"What's the deal? We on the menu again or what?"

Cassidy shot her a wry look as Lochie straightened up, tugging on her tight mesh blouse and peering around. Cassidy shook her head. She cocked her head to the side when she heard the argument drifting through the trees. They really were being quite loud.

"They're talking about you." Lochie said unnecessarily as Andrea loudly announced that she'd never trusted her and they should probably check their stuff to see what she'd stolen.

Lochie's eyes narrowed to angry slits. She took a few steps forwards and peered intently between two trees. Cassidy watched her studying the group carefully. She decided they'd better make their appearance before they got any noisier and besides, she was dying for a shower and a bed. She grabbed Lochie's arm and yanked her out into the field.

Daryl saw her first, always alert for any movement. She looked bedraggled and exhausted but she didn't appear to be injured. He jerked his crossbow up when a figure appeared behind her but she called out and held out her hand to halt him. The rest of them had fallen silent and watched the two women approach warily.

Cassidy hesitated for a fraction of a second, hovering between introducing her companion and heading straight for the house.

"This is Lochie." Cassidy finally said.

The girl waved her fingers towards her head in a half-salute. She looked slightly intimidating, all in black in a mesh top over her black vest. She hovered close to Cassidy though. Maggie offered to show Lochie where she could shower and the group scattered. Daryl fell into step with Cassidy.

"That your promise?"

He jerked his head towards Lochie's departing back. Cassidy slanted her gaze sideways towards him.

"I didn't promise to guard her with my life or anything." She snorted. "We separated a while back. Promised to meet up at the next full moon. If we were still alive, of course."

"That where you were headin' when you totalled that fine piece of machinery?"

He followed her up onto the porch steps.

"If you say one word about women drivers, redneck-" She warned as they reached the door.

There was a smirk lurking beneath the stubble and his eyes were shining with humour.

"Well hell Red, you keep your promises-"

She smirked. She let him lean in towards her until he propped one arm against the door jamb above her head. She leant back against the screen door. This was fun. It had been a long time since she'd flirted.

"I believe I said 'maybe'." She pointed out, laying her palm flat against his chest.

The rough material of his shirt, stiff with sweat and dirt, tickled her palm. She exerted no pressure and he didn't push against her hand, they were at an impasse. He was close enough that she could see the darker flecks in his blue eyes, the smirk hitching up one side of his mouth. Whatever may or may not have happened was interrupted by a thoroughly amused cough from behind Daryl. He frowned and pulled away. Rick and Glenn were on the steps to the porch, looking from one to the other with lifted eyebrows.

By the time Daryl turned back, Cassidy had vanished inside.

* * *

><p>"Men." Lochie announced, flopping down into an armchair. "Real men."<p>

Cassidy eyed her over the top of the book she was reading. Her hair was wet from the shower, combed back from her forehead. She looked younger than ever. Her legs swung over the arm of the chair.

"Well done, Lochie. Tomorrow we'll discuss the anatomical differences between the two genders."

She grinned.

"I'll bet. Gonna use that hot redneck for a demonstration?" She teased. Cassidy ignored her. "He is sort of sexy. In a rugged Sawyer sort of way. Not really my type. I bet he's wild in the sack though."

"Lochie." Cassidy hissed in a warning tone.

She grinned cheekily but dropped the topic.

"I should be tired but I'm hyped to the eyeballs." She grumbled, picking at a stray thread on her denim skirt. "Come on, Cass. I bet I can take you down this time."

Cassidy laughed.

"Lochie I haven't slept in thirty-six hours, I just ran the equivalent of ten miles to collect your sorry ass and I'm still going to hand it to you in ten minutes flat." She challenged.

Lochie jumped to her feet and pulled a stern face.

It didn't take long to find a mostly flat patch of grass in the shade of the big house. Lochie unearthed some old jogging bottoms from her stash of looted stuff. Cassidy's were mens and she had to roll them up a few times to keep her feet free. She slipped on a red wife-beater and tied her hair back in a high ponytail. She usually avoided red, it was common sense nowadays, but she figured as long as she stayed out of sight of the trees she should be alright. Lochie was all in black as usual, her dark hair tied back in a plait. They started off gently, light sparring to work the kinks out of their muscles and awaken their tired limbs. By the time they'd worked up to a real workout, they'd drawn quite a crowd. Glenn actually looked quite speechless, the radio he'd been fiddling with forgotten on the ground before him as he stared. T-Dog and Dale were working on the RV but they glanced up every now and then when one of them landed a particularly cunning blow. Andrea, Carol and Daryl had gone to check the highway and Cassidy only realised how late it was when they returned. She'd just landed Lochie on her butt again and she was laughing up at her from the grass.

"I'll get you one day, you know." Lochie groused as Cassidy held out her hand and yanked her to her feet. "You taught me everything you know."

"Actually I taught you everything _you_know." Cassidy laughed. "There's a difference. Besides." She elbowed Lochie lightly in the ribs. "You can't teach style. Or flair. Or grace. Or balance. Or-"

"Get off your high horse, bitch." Lochie snapped but there was no malice in her words. "You're a dancer. Not a fighter."

"And yet I can still kick your skinny ass." Cassidy pointed out.

Lochie flicked her the bird and vanished inside to wash off the sweat. Daryl, Andrea and Carol had to walk right past her to get to the RV. Carol was clearly upset so she didn't take it personally when she ran straight past her and into the RV. Andrea ignored her as usual but Daryl filed past with his usual swagger.

"I hope you brought food. I'm starving." She said, grabbing the water she'd brought out earlier and swigging some. It had gone warm and tepid in the sun so she poured the rest of it over her head instead. She flicked some at Daryl to see if she could surprise him for once.

He flinched back with a startled grunt and she laughed. His outraged scowl didn't falter but his eyes were flashing again. She lunged at him, planning to pour the last few drops straight down his shirt but he lashed out with lightening reflexes and grabbed her wrist. She knew he could hurt her if he wanted to and he knew she could hurt him if she really put her mind to it, but his grip was just firm enough to prevent her tipping the bottle. He gave a gentle yank and she allowed herself to fall towards him a little. His crossbow was dangling from his other hand and it bumped against her leg. It seemed like an interminably long time that they stared each other down.

"You're a hell of a scrapper there, girly." He said with something like respect glinting in his blue eyes.

"Something like that."

He leaned in an inch closer.

"Think you could take me, Red?"

There was just enough innuendo in his voice to make her pulse flutter. Lochie's stupid comments were flashing through her head and his smirk only got wider, as if he could see exactly what she was thinking.

"Oh, I'd hurt you." She murmured, quite thrilled to hear that her voice was perfectly calm and even a little offhand. Good. She had no intention of showing him that his husky lilting southern voice sent shockwaves through her stomach.

"Everything alright?"

Shane and Rick were standing a few yards away staring at them intently. Daryl let go of her wrist and she stepped back.

"Fine, Sheriff." She could see Shane eyeing Daryl distrustfully. "Just fine."

* * *

><p>"I said no."<p>

"Why not?"

"You know perfectly well why."

"You're not my mother! Or my sister. You can't order me around!"

"No… but I won't come looking for you if you don't come back."

"Why are you acting like such a stiff?"

"Because you're acting like a spoiled brat. You're going to put yourself and everyone else in danger because you're bored… and a stubborn bint to boot."

"I want to help. I'm not going to put anyone in danger-"

"You'll attract them just by being there in your condition, Lochie. You know that."

Lochie whirled on her heel and stormed up the stairs, kicking every step on her way and cursing rapidly under her breath.

"I heard that!" Cassidy called after her. "I'll blame it on the time of the month."

She swore back at her so loudly that the door to Carl's room was flung open and Rick stuck his head out. Carl was sitting up in the bed, craning to see what was going on. He beckoned for her to come in.

"You're looking good, kid." She commented as she plopped down onto the end of the bed.

Lori was asleep in the chair. Well, she was pretending to be asleep at least. Cassidy ignored her.

"Dad said you were fighting with Lochie."

Cassidy shook her head.

"Nah. We were sparring." He looked blankly at her. "Practice fighting. Don't judge us on the argument, kid. She's not like you, she's a brat."

He grinned at her. She didn't need to ask how he'd met Lochie, Lochie was the kind of person who pulled no punches and wasted no time.

"Will you teach me?"

"What?" She blinked out of her thoughts. Carl was peering at her excitedly, his slightly round face pink with excitement.

"To spar." He rolled the foreign word off his tongue triumphantly. "So I can defend myself. Please."

Cassidy could tell from the way Lori had stopped breathing that she was listening intently. She was quite surprised that she hadn't given up all pretence already and chewed her out by now.

"I don't think so, Carl." Cassidy started. His face crumpled and he looked down at his hands. "Look, sparring is no use against walkers." She explained. "You kick one in the face and it's just going to bite your foot. Hand to hand combat won't do you much good. I spar for fun, for the exercise. It's relaxing."

"But." Carl frowned and lifted his gaze back to her face. When he had that look on his face he looked much older than his eight years and very much like his serious father. "There's other stuff out there besides them. Stuff that's just as dangerous."

Her hand clenched convulsively on the sheet beneath her and she swallowed automatically. He really was smart as hell.

"That's true, I guess." She pondered. She supposed it couldn't really do any harm to show him some basic moves. "Okay, kid. When-" She held up a hand to stem his excited cry. "When the doc gives you the all clear and not a moment before. You get up too soon and you'll undo all the work these people have done for you. Understand?"

He nodded solemnly and she grinned, ruffling his hair on her way out. Rick caught up with her in the kitchen. She eyed him warily, wondering if she was about to get chewed out after all.

"I wanted to thank you." He said.

"What for?"

"Carl." He said by way of explanation.

Cassidy shrugged, intently uncomfortable at the attention.

"He's a good kid." She said awkwardly.

"And he has a point."

Rick reached out and pointed at her forearm. Before she could tuck her arm out of sight he indicated the fading bruises just visible on her skin. They'd been hidden under all the dirt. He really was more observant than she'd thought. She could see what he was thinking, Rick had one of those open faces that had his emotions emblazoned all over it no matter what he did.

"Daryl didn't do it." She said flatly, folding her arms to hide the handprint.

Cassidy saw the relief flash through his dark eyes. He'd been worried that the southerner had actually hurt her, which would have made him a threat and her another worry to add to his ever-growing list.

"I ran into some survivors near Atlanta. They weren't nearly as accommodating as you lot."

His frown darkened his whole face and she felt a brief flash of guilt. He'd taken on a lot of worries. She wasn't going to add to them.

"Don't worry about me, Sheriff. They only hurt me once. They won't be hurting anybody else any time soon."

He opened his mouth to say something but Lori appeared in the doorway and Cassidy took the chance to make her escape. These people were all so concerned with each other. It made her uncomfortable. She'd just passed by Dale and T-Dog when she tripped over Daryl. Literally. He was perched on a chopped log, oiling his crossbow. He raised his eyebrows at her, sprawled unceremoniously on the grass at his feet. He made no attempt to help her up and she glared at him from the ground. She contemplated getting up but there wasn't really much point so she rolled over onto her back instead. The sun was almost unbearably hot but she slipped her dark glasses on and revelled in the grass scratching her bare arms and tickling the gap between her shirt and jeans. She could hear Lochie and Glenn in the distance, the low hum of Carol, T-Dog and Dale's conversation nearby. If she closed her mind off a little she could almost pretend it was Before again. Just another sunny day between jobs. A branch snapped and she jerked, hurling herself into a half-upright position.

Cassidy only loosened her grip on her knife when she'd scanned the entire area. Daryl watched her without comment. When she was sure they were still alone she lay back down but the warm illusion had shattered.

"What're you doing so far from the others?" She asked, rolling the sleeves of her top up a little to catch the sun.

"Enjoyin' the peace." He grunted.

"They're very human, aren't they?" She commented, laying one arm across her forehead against the sun. "Wanting to know everything. I've never seen anyone as concerned as Rick seems to be. It's practically a commune. Hard to be alone."

"Especially when people throw themselves at you with all the grace of a wounded bull."

"Shut up." She said lazily. "I'm chock full of grace. You've never seen me dance."

"I don't have any dollar bills on me."

Cassidy cracked open an eye, peering at him over the frames of her shades.

"Daryl Dixon. If I didn't know any better, I'd be under the strange impression that you just made a joke."

She couldn't see his face properly, the sun was behind him casting his face in shadow. She pushed her glasses back up her face.

"Joking." She sighed. "Not much of that around nowadays."

"Joking?" Daryl repeated as if it were a foreign concept he'd never heard of before.

"And chocolate. And music. And hot showers." She was on a roll now, not even sure if he was listening or not but finding it very cathartic nonetheless. "And I miss going to Mimi to get my legs waxed."

His blue eyes flickered from the bow in his lap to her long jeaned legs stretched out before him.

"Don't get me wrong, it hurts like hell… but there's nothing so good for a confidence boost as that smooth silky feeling when the redness goes down." She mused, half wondering how he was going to react.

He grunted. Again. She lifted one leg and rolled up the bottom of her jeans. They were still pretty smooth. He didn't seem to be paying her any attention so she rolled onto her front and cushioned her head on her arms. Dark shadows blocked out her sunlight after a brief while of relaxed sunbathing and she tensed. Lochie and Glenn threw themselves down into the grass besides her. Lochie set about making a daisy chain.

"I'm bored." Lochie declared once she'd hung her daisy chain on Glenn's hat. "Give us a dance, Cass."

Glenn's head perked up and he stared at them with big disbelieving eyes. Cassidy glared at him.

"No."

Lochie poked her in the ribs with her finger.

"Come on. I know you still have the shoes."

"They're ballet slippers, you philistine." Cassidy flung back irritably.

"Tomato. Tomato." Lochie drawled carelessly, flapping a hand. "They're a dumb thing to hang onto if you're not going to use them. You used to dance all the time."

"There's a lot of things I used to do." Cassidy muttered crossly, unimpressed at being the centre of attention. "I used to bathe. I used to drive my bike very fast without a helmet with no fear of being eaten. I used to collect very rare first editions. I used to get laid regularly."

Cassidy was not a blushing type of girl but she was pretty sure she turned as red as a sunset when she broke off abruptly, very aware of Daryl looming besides her. He gave her a quizzical look and she glared, daring him to comment. He didn't, although he certainly looked like he wanted to. The four of them looked at each other for a long moment until Rick approached. He looked exhausted.

"Cassidy." He sat down on the log besides Daryl. She could see his red-rimmed eyes and the bruise-like dark rings under the long lashes. "Can you sit with Carl for a bit?"

Volunteering for babysitting duty wasn't really her thing, but the poor guy looked ready to drop. She had the feeling he was at his limit and someone should cut him a break.

"Sure. Why not." She sighed, manoeuvring back into a sitting position and preparing to stand.

She was somewhat surprised when he caught her hand as she passed by the two of them. He didn't say anything but he squeezed her fingers gratefully. She withdrew her hand and made her way back into the house. Carl was propped up in bed. No wonder he was bored, the room was completely bare of all entertainment possibilities. She threw herself across the end of the bed in an attitude of extreme boredom and he giggled.

"Alright kid. You got two choices for an afternoon of fun. One—"

"Why do you always call me 'kid'?" Carl asked curiously.

"Well… you are a kid. I guess." She said, slightly taken aback. "Now. I can teach you to speak French. Or I can teach you to sew."

"You sew?" He repeated in astonishment.

"There are many things I can do, young one." She sniffed haughtily. "I am a woman of very many talents. Now. Option one or two. Choose wisely."

He blinked at her as if he wasn't sure whether she was serious or not.

"French." He finally said. "Although I don't see the point."

"Well if you happen to run into a French walker you'll be able to yell at them just as effectively as if they had been American one. I know all the good curse words in a dozen different languages. So, sport." He grinned. "How advanced is your knowledge of all things French, nipper?"

Carl shrugged.

"Very well, my young sir. From the beginning."

* * *

><p>Daryl had just finished gutting a deer for supper and was on his way to the house for a well earned shower. The place was deserted, everyone seemed to be doing something. He paused when he saw a long leg dangling over a window sill. No red-blooded man would ever forget those legs. Drawn by curiosity he weaved closer to the house. Cassidy had apparently thrown open Carl's window so he could enjoy the sun and the fresh air. She was perched on the rather wide sill reading something in French to Carl who was scribbling avidly on a page.<p>

Daryl frowned and moved closer. She was focused entirely on the book and her back was to the trees. Her voice didn't alter for a moment but as soon as he got close enough to theoretically touch her, her knife appeared out of no where and he faltered. Those bright cat eyes were fixed on him with something like amusement.

"I could have been a walker." He snapped pointedly.

"I knew you weren't a walker." She said calmly, the bare leg swinging absently again. "You don't smell like one." She sniffed at his blood stained clothes experimentally. "Not entirely anyway."

Her eyes seemed brighter than ever now she was so brown from the sun. When she wasn't with Carl she was usually sparring with Lochie outside or helping Maggie with the horses. A couple of days in this heatwave and she'd been bronzed almost as dark as he was. The sun had lightened her hair though, it was shot through with blonde now. He glared at her and then stomped off.

He scrubbed his bare skin a little harder than was necessary as he showered off the blood. When he emerged he was almost as dirty as before, it would take more than a brief shower in tepid water to remove the grime. He still had the deer to sort out for supper. As he was rounding the side of the house again, he passed by Carl's window. Cassidy was still there, her head was thrown back and she was laughing at something Carl had said. The book she'd been reading from had tumbled from her lap into the grass beneath the window. Not his problem and yet he retrieved the book anyway. Before he had time to open his mouth about her lax sense of security, her hand had lashed out, locked around his wrist and yanked it at a painful angle. Taken by surprise he stumbled forwards. Cassidy had obviously expected him to anticipate her move because she over-balanced but her grip didn't loosen. This effectively yanked Daryl over the low sill and through the huge window.

They landed in a tangle of limbs on the hard wooden floor. Stunned by the sudden fall, the two of them stared at each other. Carl found the entire incident completely hilarious and he laughed so hard his stitches began to ache. Cassidy looked up at Daryl.

"Why, Mr Dixon." She purred coyly.

His scowl could have frozen a lake, even in this heat.

"It's the book." He snarled, indicating the book now trapped between them and digging sharply into her thigh. "I hope that ain't how you deal with walkers. Yanking 'em through windows and presenting ya'self to 'em."

"I already told you." She murmured. "I knew you weren't a walker."

She offered no other explanation but Rick appeared in the doorway with a bemused expression on his face and Carl had to explain, between fits of giggles, what had happened. Feeling flustered and irritable, and with quite a sore bruise to his pride, Daryl shot to his feet and stalked out of the room. Rick helped Cassidy to her feet and she could have sworn there was a grin hiding there somewhere.

* * *

><p><strong>LadyLecter47<strong> – great :)

**PsychoBeachGirl88** – thanks I'm glad you like it and her. Cassidy's background will be revealed eventually

**gurl3677** – thanks, glad you like it

**SaraLostInes** – thanks :) I hate Andrea she's always the one who gets attacked, wish she'd just get eaten already

**Clarissa8** – and I despise weak, whiny, useless, helpless women which is why I don't write about them. You don't like it, don't read it.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Don't own (although I'd love to have my very own Norman Reedus :D) don't sue!

Lyrics are from 'Rain' by Patty Griffin

**Rain**

**Chapter Three**

It's hard to listen to a hard, hard heart  
>Beatin' close to mine<br>Poundin' up against the stone and steel  
>Walls that I won't climb<br>Sometimes a hurt is so deep, deep, deep

You think that you're gonna drown  
>Sometimes all I can do is weep, weep, weep<br>With all this rain fallin' down  
>Strange, how hard it rains now<br>Rows and rows of big dark clouds  
>When I'm holding on underneath this shroud<br>Rain  
>It's hard to know when to give up the fight<br>Some things you want will just never be right  
>It's never rained like it has tonight before<br>Now, I don't wanna beg you, baby  
>For something maybe you could never give<br>I'm not lookin' for the rest of your life  
>I just want another chance to live<br>Strange, how hard it rains now  
>Rows and rows of big dark clouds<br>When I'm holdin' on underneath this shroud  
>Rain<p>

Daryl was looking for Rick. Lori had told him in her usual gruff manner, as if it galled her to be reminded that anything beyond herself existed in this world, and then disappeared somewhere. He could hear voices in Carl's room so he thrust open the door without knocking. He blinked when he found Cassidy sitting cross legged at the end of the bed. Carl was reading from a page of notes and he paused when he saw Daryl. Once Daryl's eyes had adjusted to the slightly dark interior of the room, he realised that Cassidy was sewing a patch onto a pair of Glenn's old jeans.

"Not one word." She said before he could comment, holding the needle towards him as threateningly as if it were a knife.

"Where's Rick?"

"He went to get Carl some water. He'll be back in a minute." She informed him, tying off her thread.

Daryl figured he'd be better off waiting so he leant one shoulder against the wall and watched them. Of everyone there, she seemed to take to Carl the most. Actually he was the only person she'd taken to at all. He was the only one she spoke more than a few polite words to when she had to and the only person she volunteered to spend time with at all. As he watched she held out the jeans for his inspection.

"It's wonky." He said, after squinting at the tiny stitches in the light from the lamp.

She swore at him and tossed the jeans at his head. They landed with a dull thump against the headboard and slithered into a pile besides the bed.

"I don't recall giving you permission to stop working, young master Grimes." She gave him the beady eye. "Don't think I won't cane you, just because you spend all your time lounging around in bed."

He stuck his tongue out at her and continued reading from the page. They seemed to be French words. Daryl studied her in silence. They'd been hit with some sort of heat wave and it was barely tolerable to breathe in the heat. She was in a pair of very short denim cut offs she'd made herself when the weather kicked in and she'd cut the sleeves off an old shirt she'd found that fell almost longer than the shorts. It was hot and sticky in Carl's closeted room. Daryl eyed a bead of sweat that emerged from her hair line and trickled down her back. She was looking intently at Carl as he formed the words carefully. No one could fail to notice that she was attractive and, to Daryl, her nonchalance was intently appealing when he had Lori on one side playing Shane and Rick off against each other and Andrea on the other panting after Shane despite his indifference.

"I'm impressed, young whippersnapper." She whistled when Carl had finished reading.

Rick returned with a jug full of water.

"It's not very cold." He said regretfully, nodding a greeting at Daryl and handing his son a glass of water.

"You wanted me?"

Rick glanced at Daryl as if he couldn't quite remember who he was. Then his brow lifted and he nodded.

"We need a supply run. One of the horses is sick so Maggie won't go-"

"I'll go."

Rick jumped as Lochie bounced into view.

"Have you been eavesdropping? Don't you know anything about manners?" Cassidy asked, although she sounded more amused than upset.

"Means nothing to me." Lochie said cheerfully, sliding between Daryl and Rick and leaping onto the bed between Cassidy and Carl. "So when are we going?"

"It ain't a nature hike, darlin'." Daryl interrupted sternly before Rick could say anything.

"Really? But I wanted to go for a picnic!" Lochie whined, rolling her eyes. "I'm not stupid. I can look after myself."

"Well I will do anything to get out of this house. Stir crazy doesn't even cover it." Cassidy said as she climbed off the bed. "You did good, kid. Keep working at it and I'll give you some more vocabulary when I get back."

Carl beamed as Lochie climbed off the bed and followed them out into the hallway. Lochie followed Rick into the kitchen to get the list of supplies they needed.

"Don't worry." Cassidy said when she saw Daryl eyeing her departing back mistrustfully. "She really can handle herself."

He grunted, which seemed to be his generic response for almost anything. He slanted his blue gaze towards her.

"What about you, Red. Can you handle yourself?"

Cassidy's smile sent a bolt of desire shooting straight through him, reminding him how long it'd actually been. She really was one of the sexiest women he'd ever seen, Before or After. Her golden-red hair was pulled back in a slightly messy French braid, leaving strands sticking to her forehead and neck with sweat. She had a smudge of ink on her throat where she'd scratched at an insect bite while writing Carl's vocabulary earlier. Long willowy limbs, and he'd seen how flexible they were when she was sparring, cool assessing green eyes that always had that naughty glint in them and the pouty little mouth that always looked slightly swollen as if she'd been using it for thoroughly wicked deeds all night.

"I can handle anything you can give me." She purred in a low voice.

He took a step towards her.

"Ready!" Lochie announced, emerging from the kitchen brandishing the list. "Come on Kaiser Soze-" She broke off.

She looked from one to the other in amusement then stepped around Daryl and trotted upstairs to get changed. Daryl lifted his eyebrows and Cassidy shrugged.

"Private joke." He continued to look at her. "When we first met I gave her a fake name. Followed by subsequent other fake names. She started calling me that instead of trying to keep track. What?" She demanded when he didn't acknowledge anything she'd said in any way. "Why are you looking at me like that? You do know what Kaiser Soze-"

"I know." He cut her off, slightly amused at the flustered look on her face.

She glared at him. He was the only one who made her squirm. She was as cool as ice with the rest of them, playful and a little bit sweet with Carl, bratty and sisterly with Lochie and surprisingly gentle with Rick. Personally, Daryl thought she had a bit of a soft spot for the Sheriff. But he was the only one who got under her skin and provoked a genuine reaction from her. She was cool and silent most of the time, she thought things through and never let her emotions rule her judgement, but he brought something out in her. Which was slightly weird considering they hardly spoke to each other, mainly just flirted briefly and stared each other down a lot. They were like two tigers circling, each wary of the danger the other posed but fascinated nonetheless.

* * *

><p>Daryl was surprised… actually he was more amazed. He'd been working with amateurs for months now, but these girls actually had an idea of how to survive. They weren't distracted, they kept their heads and they didn't blunder around like a herd of elephants. With one of the horses down the girls had opted to share. Lochie looked more uncomfortable than he'd ever imagined she could be, perched on the tall animal's back with her arms wrapped tightly around Cassidy's waist.<p>

When they reached the edge of town they paused. The long main street was deserted. Lochie clambered down from the horse. Despite the danger they were in, she looked immensely grateful to have her feet back on the ground again. She vanished towards the town.

"Where-"

"She's scouting it out." Cassidy cut him off.

He didn't reply. Her green eyes were flickering over every inch of the town they could see. After a moment Lochie returned.

"Couple of walkers shuffling around at the other end of town but we should be able to avoid 'em." She announced cheerfully. "Everything we need is at the south end of Main Street."

"You're staying here." Cassidy ordered, glowering at her when she opened her mouth to protest.

Something unspoken passed between the two girls and then Lochie folded her arms sulkily. Cassidy swung her fully assembled rifle off her shoulder and handed it reverently to Lochie. She pointed at a raised mound a few feet away.

"You'll have a view of the whole area. Stay low. Use the bush for cover. There's no wind to affect your shot or carry your scent."

Lochie nodded vigorously, looking as if she were trying to drink every piece of information in as if her life depended on it. Which it probably did.

"You remember what I taught you?"

She nodded again, firmly this time. She looked incredibly young carrying such a huge weapon.

"Don't worry. Vera will look after you."

It took Daryl a moment to realise that Vera was the rifle and Lochie was handling it the same way she'd cradle a baby. Cassidy watched Lochie make her way to the concealed spot with a dark expression on her face.

"Worried about the gal, or the hardware?"

She gave him a poisonous look which turned into a reluctant grin.

They were silent as they made their way towards the small street. It was eerie. The sun was warm and bright and there was a pleasant breeze, but the stores were deserted and even their light footsteps sounded loud. Their list was pretty basic, a few things from the pharmacy, a couple of books from the library that Cassidy planned to use with Carl and some more batteries and stuff, but there were also a few things for the horses on there. Their last stop was the veterinary clinic. Hershel was the town vet but there was a little clinic too.

The door was half open. Cassidy crept in as silently as she could, squeezing past the open door so she wouldn't knock the bell above it. They didn't encounter any walkers until they reached the back room. They moved into the store room and Cassidy went straight to the cabinets.

"They're locked." She said quietly, eyeing the glass fronted cabinets with a frown.

If they broke the glass they might attract something. She opened her mouth to speak but Daryl's hand whipped out and clapped over her mouth. He took three rapid steps backwards until his back was against the wall besides an open door, which presumably led out towards the back of the building, leading Cassidy with him. He kept his arm around her, his hand tight against her mouth although she'd made no sound. His other arm was gripping his crossbow so tightly that his knuckles were white. Cassidy could hear it now, the awful shuffling. They were shielded by the open back door; Daryl must have glimpsed it while she was looking at the cabinets. The shuffling was closer now. His arm tightened infinitesimally and she was drawn even closer against him. Her heart was pounding. She could taste sweat and the sharp tang of metal from his crossbow on his palm against her lips. She could feel his heart thumping against her back.

She slid her knife out of its sheath against her thigh as Daryl raised his crossbow. The shuffling was louder; it must have been right at the doorway when he saw it. She turned her head a fraction. Through the crack between the door and the doorframe she could see a shadow hesitating on the doorstep. Mainly she could see Daryl's jaw, the muscles tight beneath the stubble as he watched the walker through the opening. She could see his pulse jumping in his throat, smell the spicy scent of his skin so close against her. Eventually it shambled in. It looked sort of young, probably a receptionist or volunteer or something. Its matted hair was brown, stringing down its back. Its bright orange sweater was streaked with dirt and blood and a chunk of flesh was missing from between its breast and collarbone, streaking gore and pus down its front. It staggered into the room. The smell in the heat was overwhelming but Cassidy concentrated on the reassuring scent of Daryl's hand beneath her nose instead.

For a small moment, she thought that it might just head straight out, onto the street where Lochie could nail it from a distance. Just as it neared the doorway it paused. Every muscle in Cassidy's body was clenched so tightly it hurt, her stomach was an iron fist of tension and her brow was pouring with sweat. As it started to turn towards them, Daryl released an arrow and it sprang through the air, skewering the walker to the cupboard just behind it. Its jaw continued to move silently for a moment, its eyes rolling in their sockets until it finally stopped moving.

Only when it had been still for a full minute did Daryl let her go. For a moment she was paralysed, her body still ready for attack and rigid with tension. It was only when Daryl moved behind her that she forced herself to take a step away from him. She tucked her knife away, turning away from him so he wouldn't see her shaking hands. She'd never frozen up before, probably because she'd never come that close before. If Daryl hadn't grabbed her, it could have sneaked right on top of her and she wouldn't have realised in time.

"You good?" He asked as he removed the arrow from the walker's head. It slid down from the cupboard soundlessly, leaving a streak of nasty smelling blood and brain matter behind.

"Sure." She said, not quite meeting his gaze. She stepped around him and studied the walker. There was a name badge half dangling from the sweater. It had a set of keys attached to its belt loop. "Sorry, Clara." She muttered, kneeling down besides it.

She removed the keys, her eyes fixed firmly on the walker's mouth for any sign of movement. The keys were smeared with god-knows-what and she wrinkled her nose. Daryl was busy wiping the walker's bodily fluids off the used arrow. Cassidy jangled the keys at him and then moved back over to the cabinets. She paused.

"Keep an eye on that, will you?" She said, jerking her head towards the walker.

He looked at her.

"I just don't like the idea of turning my back on it." She snapped.

She rooted through the cabinets for a while. Apparently they hadn't been a big fan of the filing system around here because nothing was organized at all. It took her nearly ten minutes to find all the different medicines and equipment Hershel had asked for. She tucked them into her bag.

* * *

><p>"What took you so long?" Andrea grumbled as the two horses trotted back into the field by the house.<p>

"Well we did some window shopping. Got ice creams. Put the lottery on. You know, the usual." Cassidy shrugged. "What do you think we've been doing?"

She handed Maggie and Hershel the bag with the medicines in and swung down from the horse. Lochie bolted the instant her feet touched firm earth and Daryl and Cassidy led the horses back to the stables. They hadn't spoken to each other since the incident at the clinic. She could feel the glances Daryl kept shooting at her as she rinsed the sweat from her horse and rubbed it down. She didn't really think he was concerned about her, more about whether she was going to become some sort of useless loose cannon after what had happened or not. She'd been shaken up but she was fine. Pretty much.

Once she'd seen to the horses her back was aching and she was covered in dirt and sweat. Daryl looked up when he heard her clinking past.

"Whatcha got there, Red?"

She held the bag open for him. It was full of bottles of liquor, scavenged from the convenience store.

"I don't know about you but it's been a hell of a month. I am going to get wasted." She informed him cheerfully. "You can join me, if you like." She peered at him coyly over her shoulder as she sashayed out of the stables. "Unless you've got a better offer."

* * *

><p>"You really stole all this?" Lori asked in a thoroughly disapproving tone.<p>

"Looted. The term is 'looted'." Lochie corrected as she spread the bottles out around the fire. "It means the same thing but it doesn't sound quite so illegal."

"It is illegal." Lori argued, watching the never ending bottles emerging from the bag.

"How about if we left a nice little I.O.U. for the owners? In case they get back and their new hobby isn't eating their friends and neighbours? Would that make you feel better?" Cassidy said bluntly, quite ready in her current mood to start a decent argument with the whining bint.

"We're just taking what we need to survive." Carol interrupted smoothly, trying to quell the argument before it started.

Lori nudged a pile of bottles with her foot pointedly.

"Lady, I don't know about you, but this is definitely on my list of essentials." Lochie waved a bottle of Jack Daniels at Lori for emphasis.

"Besides, what good would leaving it there do?" Cassidy said sweetly.

"Do you think, when alcoholics get bitten… that they still crave drink?" Lochie mused.

They stared at her. None of them were quite sure how to take Lochie yet. Sometimes she seemed so kooky it was abnormal, and sometimes she was deadly serious. None of them had figured out how to tell which mood was which yet. Lochie broke the silence by dividing up the bottles, which led to a few squabbles.

After they'd eaten she'd had T-Dog help her build a fire and gather enough chairs for them all to sit around it. They'd placed it between the RV and the house to minimise the chances of walkers seeing it. Carol had agreed to sit with them but she refused any of the alcohol and none of Hershel's people joined them besides Maggie.

"I'm going to sit with Carl." Lori announced, getting to her feet and stepping out of the warm circle.

She paused for a moment, clearly waiting for Rick to follow her. He gave her a steady appraising look but remained firmly seated between Shane and Dale. Eventually Lori left without saying goodnight to her husband.

"OK, quickest way to get drunk without wasting alcohol is drinking games." Lochie declared, handing around the bottles.

Daryl took a huge slug of the whiskey he'd commandeered almost immediately. He blinked when he found Cassidy's little hand on his arm. Her palm was pleasantly cool against his warm bare skin.

"I'd slow down if I were you." She advised in an undertone, her eyes shining with amusement.

"You think I can't take my drink, Red?"

She cocked her head so her long hair fluttered over her bare shoulder. She had a certain way of peering at him from her under long feathery lashes that made his stomach squirm and heart flare through his groin.

"I'm sure you can… but I've been drinking with Lochie before."

She lifted her bottle of Southern Comfort to her mouth. In the orange glare of the fire he watched her press the neck of the bottle to her lips, her long slender throat moving as she swallowed. A trickle of the liquor dribbled from the crease of her parted lips and trailed over the contours of her throat. He suddenly found his own mouth was very dry and he took another hearty gulp, the alcohol's slow burn bringing him back to his senses a little.

Lochie was explaining the rules of some drinking game to a thoroughly over-excited Glenn. They drank and told stories and laughed and teased and for a while, it was almost as if none of it had ever happened. Glenn was halfway through taking another shot when he keeled over and slid out of his chair in an ungainly heap of limbs. Dale had already gone to bed and Rick had gone to check on Carl so it was left to T-Dog and Cassidy, who was closest, to roll him over and cover him with one of the blankets they'd brought out.

Cassidy was feeling the chill night air and stayed on the ground, closer to the fire. She'd brought a looted hooded sweatshirt out with her but it was so big it kept slipping down her shoulders, even after she'd zipped it up. As she shifted to tug it back up onto her shoulder again, she realised that Daryl was closer than he had been. He'd moved his lawn chair closer to the fire to close up the gap she'd left when she'd abandoned her seat. She could feel his presence half-behind her half-besides her, burning even hotter than the dying fire.

Daryl seemed to become aware of her at the exact moment she realised how close he was. He could see her profile, dark against the bright fire. The slope of her slightly snub nose, her long lashes, one high cheekbone, the planes of her face. One smooth pearly shoulder bathed in a warm golden glow, exposed when she'd tugged up the shoulder of her hoody. As if she could feel him watching her, her head turned slowly. Her hair was almost as bright as the fire and he couldn't see her eyes, they glowed in the reflected firelight like coals.

He was immediately aware of quite how close she was. His boot was nestled against the swell of her left buttock. Her shoulder blade was leaning against his shin, the denim of his jeans and the heavy material of her sweater barely a barrier against the heat of her body. It seemed an interminably long time that they stared at each other.

Cassidy didn't know how the others could keep giggling, telling their stories about a time that didn't seem to have possibly existed. All she was aware of was his presence between her and darkness beyond his outline, illuminated by the fire. Lochie called out to her and Cassidy turned away from him to reply. Her loose hair brushed against his hand resting on his thigh and his fingers clenched against his jeans convulsively. Almost without realising it, his fingers twisted around her hair. She'd showered after their ride and the strands were silky and soft against his rough fingers. Her shoulders and the muscles in her neck tightened imperceptibly so he knew she felt his fingers but she didn't move away. His knuckles brushed the soft nape of her neck and she shivered.

T-Dog let out a particularly loud howl of laughter and Rick and Shane heaved him to his feet. The three of them wobbled unsteadily, weaving towards the tents. Carol had long since retired to the RV to sleep. Glenn had revived enough to walk Maggie back to the house, although it looked more like Maggie was helping him from their staggering backs as they retreated. Andrea had fallen asleep in her chair and Lochie was peering at them shrewdly as if she knew exactly what was happening. With a sigh she clambered up from her chair and the moment was shattered.

Cassidy got to her feet and grabbed Lochie's elbow as she wobbled a little. To Daryl she looked just as she normally did, but Cassidy knew her better. Her eyes were sparkling so brightly they were like jewels and her usually fluid carefree movements were restrained and concentrated. In short she was very very drunk. Cassidy jiggled slightly as she gained her feet, not entirely from Lochie's added weight. It had been a long time since she'd drank quite so much and, while she wasn't drunk, she was well on her way to being so.

As they made their way out of the circle of chairs, they had to pass by Daryl. He was still sitting there, staring intently into the fire as if it held all the secrets of the universe, his bottle of whiskey dangling from one hand. He didn't look at them. As they passed him, Cassidy reached out her free hand and trailed her fingertips lightly along his bare forearm. He tensed at the contact but he didn't lift his gaze from the fire. Her fingertips lingered over his collarbone, drifting for the briefest of seconds under the collar of his shirt to touch bare skin and then traced along his neck.

Daryl sat there for a long time, watching the fire slowly dying down. The late night air was filled with noises; crickets and the horses and the crackling of the fire. Andrea stirred in her sleep. Daryl lifted the bottle and gulped some more whiskey, wondering if it might make him feel better. It didn't. He was not a twenty-one year old youth seducing women left and right anymore, he was old enough to know better. Especially now. He had screwed his fair share of women, had flings, one night stands, the odd relationship… and not one of them had ever given him an ounce of the fire now scorching through his veins. Maybe it was just because he'd been celibate for so long.

He grunted to himself. Even he wasn't buying that one. He could still feel every inch of where she'd touched him. A trail of heat blazing over his skin. When he lifted his hand to light a cigarette, he could smell her hair on his fingers, taste her against his lips beneath the smoke and tobacco. He tossed the butt of the cigarette in the fire. He only realised how drunk he was when he climbed rather unsteadily out of his chair.

* * *

><p><strong>NixyKnight<strong> – Thanks I quite like her myself lol I'm hoping they kill Andrea off soon. Doubt it though :(

**SaraLostInes** – I was thinking more Katie Cassidy myself, especially as Ruby in "Supernatural" but that's just me :)

**Daniyell37** – Thanks. I was a bit surprised too but for my taste he's the only interesting character in the show. I don't mind the others but he's what I watch it for.

**PsychoBeachGirl88** – I think Carl is adorable and he's not given nearly enough screen time. He's way more fun than half of the others bless him. Thanks here's an update for you :D


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Don't own (although I'd love to have my very own Norman Reedus :D) don't sue!

Lyrics are from 'Rain' by Patty Griffin

**Rain**

**Chapter Four**

It's hard to listen to a hard, hard heart  
>Beatin' close to mine<br>Poundin' up against the stone and steel  
>Walls that I won't climb<br>Sometimes a hurt is so deep, deep, deep  
>You think that you're gonna drown<br>Sometimes all I can do is weep, weep, weep  
>With all this rain fallin' down<br>Strange, how hard it rains now  
>Rows and rows of big dark clouds<br>When I'm holding on underneath this shroud  
>Rain<br>It's hard to know when to give up the fight  
>Some things you want will just never be right<br>It's never rained like it has tonight before  
>Now, I don't wanna beg you, baby<br>For something maybe you could never give  
>I'm not lookin' for the rest of your life<br>I just want another chance to live  
>Strange, how hard it rains now<br>Rows and rows of big dark clouds  
>When I'm holdin' on underneath this shroud<br>Rain

Cassidy, Daryl and Lochie appeared to be the only people unaffected by a killer of a hangover the next day. Andrea was even nastier than usual, T-Dog was grunting rather than talking and Glenn was curled up in the foetal position on the porch. Maggie had fallen asleep on the porch swing. Cassidy handed her a glass of water. Glenn groaned piteously and curled up into a tighter ball, whimpering.

"I'm dying." He moaned.

"It's called a hangover, don't panic." Cassidy explained in some amusement.

Daryl emerged through the door behind her, his crossbow slung over his back. He eyed Glenn without a glimmer of pity.

"Here." Cassidy placed a glass of water on the wooden boards besides him and dropped an Alka Seltzer into it.

It fizzed up noisily and Glenn cracked open an eye.

"Why did you make me drink so much?" He muttered morosely, levering himself into a sort of sitting position.

"You barely drank anything." Cassidy reminded him. "A walker could drink you under the table."

Glenn muttered mutinously but he was too busy trying to keep the Alka Seltzer down to start an argument.

"It wasn't very clever to drink that much." Rick observed as he joined them in the early morning air.

It was still very early and he was only in a white vest and his uniform trousers.

"He didn't drink that much." Cassidy protested. "We drank twice as much and not even a headache."

Glenn muttered something between gulps of the fizzy water, shooting her a very dark reproachful look.

"Relaxing once in a while won't kill you, Sheriff."

Rick didn't answer but his dark eyes remained on Cassidy until Lori appeared behind him with a black look on her face. She'd declined their invitation to join them after checking on Carl the night before and had stomped off to bed almost immediately.

"What's going on?" She demanded.

"Glenn's dying." Cassidy said helpfully.

Lori shot Glenn's once-again-still form a searching look.

"He's hungover." Rick reassured her.

Lori glared at Cassidy and then dragged Rick back inside the house. Cassidy yawned and stretched. It had been a while since she'd been drinking, she might not have been suffering but she could definitely feel the effects and the brisk early morning air was a welcome break to the unpleasant heat. She figured a little stroll around the farm might do her some good, rinse away the cobwebs. She hadn't gone far when she realised that Daryl was behind her.

"You know stalking is still illegal."

"She really doesn't like you, Red."

Cassidy glanced at him, his blue eyes were fixed firmly on the trees to their right.

"Oh."

"She thinks you got your eye on her husband's-"

"Good." Cassidy interrupted, quite enjoying the cool dewy grass beneath her bare feet.

"Have you?" Daryl asked.

She stopped and looked at him in surprise.

"No." She shrugged, her eyes trailing over his shoulder to look back at the house. "But if she thinks I do, she might treat him a bit better."

He looked sort of amused. Cassidy was nonplussed. Not that she'd mind giving Rick one every now and again but he was so blinded by his horrible wife that it wasn't really worth the trouble it would cause. Unfortunately.

"You want her to treat him better." Daryl repeated slowly as if he were mulling the words over as he spoke them.

"Well it isn't detrimental to my happiness or anything… but the woman should be grateful for what she's got." He was still studying her with a strange look on his face. "What?" She snapped.

No matter how confident and self-assured she'd become in her twenty-four years, one of those indecipherable strange looks on Daryl Dixon's face shattered all of her carefully constructed walls and managed to make her feel like a baffled teenager again.

"You use all them big pointless words when you're on the defensive."

She gaped at him. Literally. She was pretty sure her mouth was hanging open and everything.

"What were you, a psychologist in another life?"

He snorted with laughter. He was reading her, he could actually figure her out. This gruff, slightly unpleasant, generally grumpy, sort of attractive, very sexy in a rough way, redneck was closer to figuring her out than her own parents had been. The dynamics between them had shifted, Cassidy was standing as if struck by lightening and Daryl wasn't even looking at her. He was focused entirely on the area around them.

As she'd concluded earlier, the heavy liquor on an almost empty stomach after months of abstinence had had a very odd effect on her, which was the only explanation she could come up with for what she did next. She put one hand on his shoulder, the other cupped his chin and tilted his face towards hers. On her bare feet she had to lean up on her tiptoes to brush her lips against his. She'd meant to startle him, to throw him off and re-assert the manageable flirty tension between them. Unfortunately, he turned out to be an amazing kisser and she hadn't surprised him nearly as much as she'd wanted to.

With his lightening reflexes his hands went to her elbows to steady her against him although she seemed to be perfectly balanced on her toes. She felt his shoulder flex beneath her clenched hand, his stubble rough against her soft cheek, the hard planes of his chest pressed against hers. As it turned out a mouth used mainly for cussing and scowling was surprisingly excellent at this sort of thing. She could taste the old liquor from last night, sweet against her tongue. In the end neither of them had to break the kiss because a rustling in the trees made them break apart automatically. Daryl reached for his crossbow. A squirrel darted back up the tree it had emerged from.

She moved away from him. He didn't look the slightest bit disconcerted about what had happened, although his blue eyes were heavily-lidded and blisteringly bright, his cheeks were red and his breathing was a little hitched.

She looked at him, seriously considering continuing what they'd started. They were still standing there looking at each other when Shane and Rick emerged from the early morning shadows, looking as if they were right in the middle of a nasty argument. Cassidy took a step back.

"Lover's tiff?" She called out to them.

Shane glared at her but Rick looked pleased at the interruption and made a beeline straight for them.

"What's up, Sheriff?"

He shook his head.

"Nothing." He turned to Daryl. If he noticed his burning cheeks and the feverish glint in his eye he didn't comment. "You ready?"

Cassidy looked at them questioningly. Shane had marched off without a further word to any of them. Neither of them explained but from the general gist of the conversation she gathered they were about to go looking for Sophia again.

"You in?" Daryl suddenly threw at her, without actually looking at her.

"I… uh-" Cassidy hadn't actually joined the others looking for the girl yet. Lochie had. Rick was looking at her intently and Daryl was peering out of the corner of his eye. All of the reasons she had for not tramping through the walker infested woods looking for a girl who'd already been missing for way longer than the usual life-expectancy nowadays, fled from her mind and she shrugged. "Sure."

* * *

><p>"Christ I hate the woods." Cassidy cursed under her breath, slapping at a mosquito on her bare arm.<p>

They'd been crawling all over the woods for hours now and the atmosphere was unpleasantly heavy beneath the trees. While they provided shade from the punishing glare of the sun, they also trapped the heat beneath the leafy canopy overhead. Of course that had some advantages too, she mused as Daryl circled in front of her. His shirt was plastered to his broad back, practically see through with sweat and his bare arms were glistening. She was so deep in contemplation about all the wonderful things a ragged pair of jeans could do for the male form, that she almost didn't see the snake in time. Jerking her foot to the side at the last moment, she gave a strangled cry and half-tumbled sideways against a tree.

Daryl whirled, crossbow held ready, his blue eyes darting. It took him a moment to realise what had happened. Cassidy was clinging to a tree as if her life depended on it, staring wide-eyed at something in the grass. He moved towards her.

"Watch the snake." She said slightly breathlessly.

He couldn't see a thing. She pointed at a spot in the grass somewhere to his right.

"It's probably just a little thing, not even poisonous." He said helpfully.

"It's a snake." She repeated, slightly hysterically. "With teeth. Fangs. A mouth full of needly things."

Finally catching sight of the harmless reptile quite happily sunbathing in a patch of sunlight and apparently not the least bit interested in either of them, Daryl bent down and picked it up. She made a noise that was half a wail and half a nauseous grunt.

"You can gut a walker with nothing but ya keys and you're scared of this little fella?" He taunted quite gleefully.

"It's a phobia." She snapped. "An unconscious reaction. An irrational fear."

He waved the snake at her. It stuck its tongue out quite passively, seemingly enjoying being wrapped around Daryl's hands.

"Look at the big terrifying beastie. You're lucky I was here to save you."

"Don't fucking patronize me, redneck."

"Nah, I'm sure anyone would have given such a big girly shriek when they saw this guy."

"I _am_ a girl."

"Guess this makes me your hero, don't it?"

"Keep on, Dixon, and I'll ram that snake right up your-"

"What the hell's going on?" Shane demanded, appearing on the little path looking thunderous.

"What's all the racket?" Glenn said from behind him in a hushed whisper, which was slightly redundant considering Cassidy and Daryl had been howling at each other loudly enough to wake the dead. Literally.

"Red here doesn't like snakes." Daryl jeered, gesturing with the snake again.

"If you wave that thing at me again, I swear to fucking God-"

"Now now, girly. Don't say somethin' you'll regret."

"Oh I guarantee you I won't regret it. In fact I'd take great pleasure in the prospect."

"Weren't sayin' that this morning, Red."

"Go fuck yourself."

"That's no way for a lady to be talkin'… and that definitely wasn't your attitude this morning."

"Fuck off. Do I look like a lady to you?"

"You look like a little gal who nearly wet herself at the sight of one tiny little slitherer."

"I don't think you want to bring up the subject of tiny little wriggly things. Do you, Mr Dixon?"

"EXCUSE ME!" Rick thundered in as loud a whisper as he dared to use.

The two of them turned matching furious looks on him. Rick looked entirely too amused at the situation and some of Cassidy's anger flickered into embarrassment. She really didn't know why he had this effect on her. She could feel heat pooling in every inch of her body, whether from anger or passion or just plain desire, she couldn't tell. They were all staring at them; pale and dirty and exhausted after spending the best part of the day combing the woods, half of them on a hangover.

"Look, it's getting dark and we're all tired. Maybe we should head back." Rick suggested calmly.

Daryl finally deposited the snake back into the grass and it disappeared into the undergrowth. Cassidy looked distinctly queasy and her green eyes were fixed on its progress until it vanished. He'd seen her faced by walkers where she'd been ghostly pale with fear but now she was literally trembling. She looked as if she might throw up at any moment. It made her seem more vulnerable, more human, somehow, to know that she was still afraid of little things even after everything that had happened.

"I'm going up to the highway." He grunted as they started to leave, all guiltily grateful for the respite.

Cassidy paused and glanced at him over her shoulder. For a moment he wondered if she was going to come with him. She had that impenetrable look in her dark eyes and her pretty little mouth was pursed. She looked like some sort of wood nymph. Her golden-red hair was loose and wild around her shoulders, strewn with fallen leaves, her heart-shaped face was streaked with dirt and her bare skin was dappled by the shadows of the leaves overhead. The vest she'd been wearing was filthy and she'd tied it into a knot under her ribcage, exposing dark ink tattooed down her side. She shifted her gaze away and the image shattered. She turned away from him and followed after the others.

* * *

><p>"I need a haircut." Lochie announced, staring at her reflection in the mirror critically.<p>

"Sure. I'll just call the salon, shall I?"

"You've got your knickers in a twist today." Lochie twisted her hair into a thick rope and piled it up on top of her head. "What happened with Mr Redneck last night?"

"Nothing." Cassidy snapped, scrubbing at the saddle in her lap slightly harder than was necessary. "I came back to the house with you remember."

"Uh huh." Lochie clearly wasn't convinced. She let her hair drop and shook it out over her shoulders again.

Cassidy didn't reply. She'd never been one for girly talk, but in the middle of an apocalypse it seemed obscene to complain about men problems. After they'd returned from the woods she'd visited Carl, who was closeted with his mother so, to occupy her rather traitorous one-track mind, she'd set about cleaning all the tack for the horses. It was exhausting work and her fingers were raw from scrubbing but the afternoon had passed relatively quickly. Unfortunately the task hadn't distracted her from her brooding thoughts at all.

Lochie had arrived a few minutes earlier and had thrown herself down into the hay at her feet. Cassidy did not do heart-to-hearts. She'd seen a shrink once in her life when she was ten years old. Her parents had insisted on it after everything that had happened. She'd done what her parents had asked and poured everything out; her fears and her nightmares, her dark thoughts and her boiling hatred, all of the dark nasty recesses of her young mind had been explored and in the end it had done nothing. The thoughts had still been there and her family had become fractured anyway. When something bothered her, she kept it inside, tucked safely into a corner.

"What?" She realised Lochie had been staring at her as she worked at the saddle.

"You are a baffling little enigma." Lochie sighed, returning the mirror to its place on the tackroom wall. "You're a hypocrite."

Cassidy blinked in surprise. The saddle was gleaming on her lap but she felt no satisfaction. As if a shiny saddle was any use nowadays.

"You're all 'take what you want' and 'we're in an apocalypse, we've no time for dithering' and 'that Andrea chick is a moron, getting laid is about the only fun we can still have'… and then when it comes down to it you're too scared to-"

"I am not scared." Cassidy interrupted the diatribe.

"Whatever." Lochie announced haughtily. "The fact remains that you're too stubborn to take your own advice and nail that sexy slab of hunk while you've still got the chance."

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Yes you do. You two glare at each other so hard it's amazing you don't just burn each other up. It's disgusting." She finished grumpily. "Is he why you stay?"

The saddle on her lap slid off and landed with a dull thud on the wooden floor, scattering soap suds everywhere. Cassidy gaped at Lochie.

"What?"

"Well." Lochie shrugged. "You don't usually hang around anywhere this long. Especially not around this many people. You don't like people."

Cassidy couldn't argue with that. She hadn't actually thought about it that way. She wasn't exactly comfortable here, that was true. Too many people. Too many people all up in each other's business. And it still gave her the creeps. There was something so sinister about the place. Bleh.

"Lochie. We have a bed and a shower. For free. We're not being strong-armed into granting sexual favours to overweight tubs of lard with bad B.O. like the last place."

"If I recall correctly, the first time the topic was mentioned you broke said tub of lard's kneecaps and left him there in a pool of his own rancid urine." Lochie pointed out. "Then stole all his weapons and his Humvee."

"Be that as it may." Cassidy continued sternly. "There's little point in running out on a good thing while we've got it. And no. It's got nothing at all to do with Daryl Dixon."

Lochie rolled her eyes. Cassidy stared her down defiantly. She really didn't want to think about Daryl Dixon or whatever effect he may or may not be having on her choice of location right now.

"If you say so. Where is he anyway?"

"At the highway." Cassidy said immediately, without thinking.

She met Lochie's triumphant gaze with a vicious glare.

"Uh huh." Lochie got to her feet. "Well I'm going to see what I can do about all this." She waved a hank of hair at Cassidy. "Why don't you go and find him… and have sex for me while you're at it." She called over her shoulder. "Lord knows, it's been a while."

* * *

><p><strong>Chachi94<strong> – thanks here's the next chapter for you

**Leerun** – thanks very much :) I don't actually know what Mary Sue means but okay thanks lol. Oh yes it most definitely was, extra points for you!

**gurl3677** – thanks glad you liked it

**SaraLostInes** – the hair is supposed to be that sort of gold that's too red to be blonde but too blonde to be red if you get me. Most definitely, Jayne is my favourite Firefly character he rocks :D Thanks very much :)


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: Don't own (although I'd love to have my very own Norman Reedus :D) don't sue!

Lyrics are from 'Rain' by Patty Griffin

**Rain**

**Chapter Five**

It's hard to listen to a hard, hard heart  
>Beatin' close to mine<br>Poundin' up against the stone and steel  
>Walls that I won't climb<br>Sometimes a hurt is so deep, deep, deep  
>You think that you're gonna drown<br>Sometimes all I can do is weep, weep, weep  
>With all this rain fallin' down<br>Strange, how hard it rains now  
>Rows and rows of big dark clouds<br>When I'm holding on underneath this shroud  
>Rain<br>It's hard to know when to give up the fight  
>Some things you want will just never be right<br>It's never rained like it has tonight before  
>Now, I don't wanna beg you, baby<br>For something maybe you could never give  
>I'm not lookin' for the rest of your life<br>I just want another chance to live  
>Strange, how hard it rains now<br>Rows and rows of big dark clouds  
>When I'm holdin' on underneath this shroud<br>Rain

Lochie's brand new, very short hair was plastered to her forehead and neck with sweat as Cassidy dragged her to her feet again. Apparently offering her friend a sparring match to ease her mood had been a very bad idea. She'd never seen Cassidy like this. Ever. She was wound up like a jack-in-the-box ready to spring. Something told her it had something to do with Daryl still being conspicuously absent. She probably would have been able to find him relatively easily, if she hadn't been such a stubborn bint. Lochie had given up trying to talk to her about it. Cassidy didn't talk about anything if she could help it.

"Okay, I give." Lochie panted, holding up her hands in surrender as she tried to catch her breath.

Cassidy looked briefly guilty but Lochie waved her off. As they made their way back to the house, Cassidy proved that she really was in a baffling mood.

"I like the hair."

Lochie goggled at her. Girl talk? Really?

"Thanks. Andrea did it."

Cassidy didn't comment, she was scanning the tree line intently.

"Don't worry about him, I'm sure he's fine."

"What? Who?" Cassidy said casually, not fooling Lochie for a second.

"You know who. Don't play the clueless wide-eyed innocent with me." Lochie grinned. "I'm better at it than you."

"Are not." Cassidy protested.

"Am too."

"Are not!" She insisted.

"Am too! You've got too bad a temper to be naïve and sweet."

Cassidy muttered something sulkily but didn't reply. As they neared the house they could see a cluster of people gathered on the porch. They stopped talking abruptly and Cassidy and Lochie came to a halt a few feet away. Cassidy could feel her stomach roiling at the looks on their faces. Andrea was staring fixedly at the ground and Carol looked paler than ever. Rick was the one who finally spoke.

Cassidy stopped listening long before Rick had finished explaining. Her gaze locked onto Andrea and didn't move. When the blonde finally lifted her chin the disgust and anger flashing in those green orbs, suddenly as hard as chips of jewels, punched through her with the force of a bullet and she flinched back. Cassidy didn't speak. She couldn't find the use of her tongue beneath the horror that had swelled in her belly. It was Lochie who asked all the right questions.

When she heard that he was alive, Cassidy almost swayed in relief but Lochie's hand was firm on her elbow until she'd steadied herself. She had been avoiding examining her feelings for the grumpy redneck but now this…

She wheeled away from them and walked away towards the trees. Her head was whirling and her heart was pounding so hard it actually hurt. She could hear someone behind her, calling for her to come back. She knew Lochie wouldn't have followed, she knew better. She couldn't cope with Rick right now. She needed to be alone to sift through the torrent of emotions that had formed a solid ball heavy in her chest. Rick would be there with sympathy and understanding in his warm dark eyes and she just couldn't cope with that right now. She'd probably end up taking his head off.

She stopped besides a relatively wide firm old tree and swung herself up into the branches. She kept climbing until she was about halfway up where she settled into a knot of branches. Through the branches she saw Rick come to a halt beneath her, turning slowly as he looked for her. After a while he went away.

She didn't really think about how long she stayed out there, her mind was on other things. It was almost sundown when she finally uncoiled her stiff sore legs and started her descent. She managed to completely avoid meeting anyone until she came to the room where Daryl was staying. Hershel was closing the door, his hands full with a bowl of bloodied water and a pile of used bandages. He looked at her from under his grizzled eyebrows but didn't comment, nodding politely and continuing on his way.

Daryl looked more vulnerable than she'd ever seen him in the big old-fashioned wooden bed. He was glaring moodily at the wall, blankets up to his chin and his injured shoulder swathed in bandages. He looked so thoroughly grumpy and annoyed that she laughed before she could stop herself.

"I don't need no more bandages, old man. You gussied me up so tight if I fell off the bed, I'd bounce."

"Now that's gratitude." Cassidy said from the doorway.

He squinted in her direction.

"That you, Red?" He let out an irritable grunt. "If you're going to stand around, at least come in where I can see ya."

Cassidy stepped into the room and closed the door behind her. She felt suddenly sick. He'd levered himself up against the pillows and she winced at the mess he'd made of himself.

"You idiot." She said brutally.

"Hell, Red." He said in surprise. "Anyone'd think you actually care."

For a brief horrifying moment she thought she might cry but she managed to quash the impulse.

"Idiot." She repeated.

"I didn't shoot myself." He pointed out defensively.

"No, that useless blonde did. That's the problem nowadays, the tourists get hold of guns when they don't know a firing pin from their elbows. Stupid bitch could have at least shot herself. Saved the rest of us the trouble."

"Aw, Red. I'm gettin' all teary over here."

He sounded anything but, in fact he sounded thoroughly amused.

"Does it hurt?"

"Bit."

"Good. Fucking moron."

"Somethin' on your mind there, Red?"

"Why do you never call me Cassidy?" She asked suddenly.

He gave her a long level look that made her want to squirm. His blue eyes were surprisingly piercing.

"If I'm goin' to call you by your name, it's gonna be your real name."

She glared at him. Even Lochie didn't know her real name. Of course nowadays it hardly mattered, they weren't about to type her name into Google and download her whole life or anything.

"While ya here you might as well be useful."

"Excuse me?"

He glowered at her.

"Get your scrawny ass over here, I ain't gonna attack you in my condition, am I?"

"I wouldn't put anything past you, Dixon."

He smirked at her as she crossed the room towards him obediently.

"I got an itch."

"Fuck you." She snapped.

He lifted his eyebrows at her with such an annoying look on his face that she contemplated slapping him. He indicated the shoulder-blade that wasn't covered in bandages, a spot he couldn't quite reach with his good arm. She rolled her eyes but leant over him just the same and scratched the spot he'd indicated. He grunted with pleasure. Cassidy tried not to look at him too closely, suddenly aware of how close they were.

He stared straight ahead. He could see her collarbone directly in front of him, the thin silver chain of a necklace disappearing under her vest. Her hair was slipping over her shoulder towards him. He could smell the sharp tang of the apple-scented shampoo she'd used and the heat of the sun still on her skin. He could see her pulse flickering in the hollow of her throat. He wondered what she'd do if he pressed his lips against that spot, if he tasted the sweat from the sticky weather beading there with his tongue.

"Better?" She asked, snapping him back to the present.

He nodded, not trusting himself to speak. Her hand lingered on his bare shoulder, massaging and kneading the tense muscles. Without warning, she kissed him. His uninjured arm lifted immediately and his hand went to her throat, his rough palm caressing her jawline. She was aware enough not to lean her full weight against his injured shoulder. She was enticingly light against him, the gentle pressure of her thigh alongside his, her hands touching his bare chest and her mouth against his as she leant over him, just enough to make his skin burn. It wasn't the most comfortable position to be in but when he tried to pull her closer, she broke away.

"No." She was breathless but firm. "You'll bust your stitches."

"I don't give a fuck." He snarled mutinously.

"I do." Stunned by the admission, he fell silent. "You should rest."

"After that, you expect me to rest?" He demanded, slightly peevishly.

"I expect you to do as you're told, like a good little patient."

"Fuck that. Come back here."

"Nice bedside manner."

"I'm the patient! You're supposed to have the bedside manner. You're supposed to take care of me."

"Oh? In a nurse's outfit preferably? Should I lovingly mop your brow and whisper encouraging words and offer you a bed-bath?"

"Well, if you're offering…"

"Maybe when you've healed a bit."

"I'm keeping a list of all these 'maybes' you know."

"Let me know how that goes, won't you?"

"You tease!"

"What are you doing? You're going to give yourself another injury, you stupid redneck. Lie back down!"

"You first."

"In your condition, I highly doubt you'd be much use."

"Want to bet? I'll show you something that'll wipe that grin off ya face."

"I bet, it's hard to laugh and grin at the same time."

Rick paused when he saw Lochie and Glenn bent double with giggles outside Daryl's room. He was about to ask them what was so funny about the situation when the sound of raised voices reached him.

"What're you going to do, glare me into submission? You're not nearly as scary as you think you are, Dixon."

"I'll show you scary, you stubborn witch."

"You threatening to show me what's under these blankets again?"

"I thought he was supposed to be resting?" Rick asked in alarm as Lochie and Glenn moved away from the door to join him. "Should I-"

"No." Lochie touched his arm to stop him from entering the room. "Leave them to it. It beats him brooding and sulking in the dark like he was before. And trust me, you'd rather have Cassidy taking it out on him than on you."

"Taking what out on him?" Glenn asked, his brow wrinkled in confusion as he scratched under his ball cap.

Lochie just looked at him in exasperation and then sighed. They could hear her muttering about the stupidity of men and idiotic stubborn bints all the way down the hallway.

* * *

><p>They seemed to have argued themselves out, or maybe the blood loss had finally kicked in, because one minute Daryl had been brooding and the next he'd fallen asleep. He looked peaceful and innocent. She should probably have left but she couldn't seem to gather the motivation. She settled down in the uncomfortable hard-backed wooden chair near the window. It was stiflingly hot in the little room and her long day in the uncomfortable tree must have worn her out more than she'd expected because the next thing she knew she had a crick in her neck and she was sliding out of her chair.<p>

She pulled herself up and stretched. It was dark outside and her stomach was rumbling with hunger. She must have been asleep for a while. She glanced at Daryl but he was perfectly still. Her heart lurched and she held her breath. Eventually she recognised the steady rising of his chest in the bed and she could hear his even breathing. She let out a sigh of relief.

"Are you watching me sleep?"

She could feel her cheeks burning and she was immensely glad that it was still so dark in the room.

"Hardly. I was making sure you were still breathing." She snapped, searching the small bedside table for matches to light the lamp with. "You look the type to drop dead from a daft injury."

"I was shot." He protested irritably, struggling to wriggle into a sitting position.

"In the shoulder." Cassidy said dismissively, finally succeeding in lighting the lamp.

He squinted in the sudden glare.

"You were worried enough to stay here all night."

She snorted, making sure the blinds were drawn to block out the light.

"I fell asleep."

"Uh huh."

She opened her mouth to retort but the sight of blood made her pause. She hurried to the bed and yanked him further into the light.

"Ow." He said reproachfully.

"You must have rolled on your shoulder in your sleep." She determined once she'd thoroughly checked over his wound and the bandages. "You can't even sleep without causing yourself some damage."

His protests turned to curses as she started to unravel his bandages. She poked and prodded his wound until he was sure she was doing it on purpose.

"Stop squirming." She ordered. "Big baby."

She left him grumbling to go and get some clean water and fresh bandages. Maggie was in the kitchen, staring out of the window intently. Cassidy was alert immediately but then the brunette smiled sheepishly and turned towards her. Cassidy quite liked Maggie, she didn't pretend to care about her feelings and she didn't force awkward conversation onto her. There was a grudging respect between the two of them. Maggie showed her where Hershel kept his supplies and provided her with a bowl of lukewarm water.

When she got back to the room Daryl was prodding his wound experimentally.

"Don't touch it." She tutted, slapping his hand away. "God knows what's on your fingers."

He grumbled under his breath but obediently kept still as she cleaned the wound and re-bandaged his shoulder. She tried not to think about how fast her heart was racing at the close contact. The bed really was quite a bit smaller than it looked. His leg was firm underneath her and his skin was warm beneath her hands. It took her a moment to realise that his hand was on her thigh. Her bare thigh.

"I told you to behave until you've recovered. You've lost a lot of blood." She said reproachfully, although she didn't remove his hand.

"Sure doesn't feel like it." He muttered, shifting slightly beneath the sheets. "I'm bored." He complained. "I need entertaining. Maybe if you-"

"I'm not stripping."

"I'm injured."

"You will be if you keep on."

"What's that?"

She followed his gaze. Her vest had ridden down when she stretched to put the bowl of water on the floor and exposed a small tattoo over her heart. Daryl squinted at the tiny black lines inked on her sun-bronzed flesh. He'd never noticed it before. Of course he'd never been this close to her before. It was still slightly dark in the room and he cocked his head for a better look.

"It's a bird." He hazarded, wondering if he could get a better look without risking a punch to the kidneys.

"It's an albatross." She corrected quietly, pulling her top back up to cover the tattoo.

Her voice was quite expressionless, as he imagined her face must be. She'd turned away from him and he could only see the bare expanse of her back in the slim top, the smooth sweep where her shoulders became her long neck and her plait trailing down her spine.

"In the poem an albatross is a good luck charm, until it's killed. Then it becomes a death omen to its killers." There was a long pause. When she continued, her voice was very precise. "It represents my sister."

Daryl remained silent, trying to work out how such a morbid tale could relate to something as essential to your being as your own blood sibling. He hesitated. This was not his strong point.

"Is she-"

"She killed herself, ten years ago." Cassidy interrupted bluntly, her voice as sharp as a knife.

Daryl could sense that there was much more to the story behind that tattoo but he couldn't find the right words to ask. He was slightly amazed at how curious he was. Maybe it was because she was so impenetrable, a steel wall who clamped her emotions away where they could do no damage. He wasn't entirely sure what had triggered this sudden outburst of soul-baring but he knew that this was as close to intimacy as she ever got. This was her version of weakness, she was exposing herself to him, just a crack… just enough to show him a glimpse of who she really was.

She got up from the edge of the bed. As far as she was concerned the ball was in his court now, she'd made her play and now it was his choice how to respond. Daryl knew that if she left the room now, he would not have a chance at this intimacy with her again. What she was offering now was a one time deal.

He was not a man of words. He rarely had the right words to hand and when, like now, he sorely needed them he usually found himself at a complete loss. So he reached out with his uninjured arm and gripped her wrist. She turned slowly without moving any closer to the bed. Her eyes were dark but her chin was tilted defiantly and her jaw was set.

He felt her pulse beating against his fingers, jumping erratically despite her blank face. He gave a little tug and she moved closer.

"You and me ain't done yet, Red."

To his annoyance his voice was slightly hoarse and a flicker of a grin touched her lips. The moment had passed. Her challenge had been accepted. He pulled her closer. Her legs hit the side of the bed but she didn't flinch. They waited each other out in tense silence. One more tug and she'd either have to pull away or join him on the bed.

She'd decided to keep her distance until he had healed and she'd figured herself out but her resolve was rapidly weakening. He was peering intently at her with those brilliant blue eyes. He looked sore and bruised and exhausted but there was no doubt in his eyes, no flicker of uncertainty. He was pale beneath the stubble but his stubborn smirk was firmly in place. She lowered herself onto the bed finally, straddling him gently to avoid jerking his shoulder around too much. If he was surprised at the sudden yielding in their ongoing battle of wills, he didn't show it. His hands tangled roughly in her hair as he yanked her against him. Taken by surprise she didn't lift her hands in time to steady herself and her arm whacked into his bullet wound. She felt his stomach contract in pain beneath her, his breath suddenly drawn in against her lips. He did not stop his assault on her mouth though. She wrapped her arms around his neck, helping him gain leverage in his wounded state. His mouth worked feverishly against hers, his tongue exploring as his hands roamed down her shoulders and her back. He'd been right about the blood loss, it really hadn't effected the important parts of his anatomy. She felt his hands moving under her top, stroking and caressing her bare skin until she was quivering.

"Hey, Daryl-"

The door flew open revealing Glenn, he had a notepad in his hand and a bemused expression on his face which rapidly became horror. He appeared to be not only speechless, but rooted to the spot in shock. Lochie appeared behind him with a grin so wide it must have actually hurt. She eyed the two of them.

"Fuck off!" Daryl howled.

Had he been able to reach anything remotely heavy he would have tossed it at them in his frustration. Cassidy slid down from his lap. He glared at her.

"You're leaving?"

She hadn't actually realised how far he'd got in undressing her; her top was rucked right up so he could finally see the tattoo along her side; it was designed to look like an open zipper exposing a riot of tiny butterflies and flowers mixed in with skulls and impossibly small weapons extending from under her bra to just under her ribs, unbelievably small and delicate but it must have hurt like hell, and her jeans were unbuttoned revealing sexy red lace underwear.

"I think we should postpone this."

She buttoned up her jeans before she could change her mind.

"Why?"

As she was pulling her top back into place, Shane and Rick appeared behind Glenn and Lochie, halting mid-conversation at the sight before them.

"I'm not into an audience." She snapped, crossing the room and slamming the door on them all. "I just think that taking advantage of a guy who probably has concussion and who nearly bled to death a few hours ago, isn't really in my best interest right now."

He continued to look at her. She moved back towards him, leaning over him. Whatever comments he'd been about to make vanished when he realised that he could see right down her vest from this vantage point, and that her lips were against his ear doing something quite extraordinary. It took him a moment to focus on the words causing the warm breath against his cheek.

"Don't worry, you're on a promise, redneck."

She slipped out of his reach before he could grab her.

"But I'm not into sympathy sex. And I will not be doing all the work." She looked at him over her shoulder as she reached the door. Her hair was rumpled where he'd run his fingers through it and her lips were swollen and bruised from kissing. "Besides, you passing out on me halfway through would not do anything for my self-esteem."

* * *

><p><strong>Chachi94<strong> – thanks very much, hope you like this chapter too

**gurl3677** – thanks, that's almost exactly how I'd react under those circumstances, although I'd do a lot more screaming

**SaraLostInes** – honestly Lochie is influenced a lot by Kenzie from Lost Girl. Ksenia Solo is amazing I love her.

**Grim1989** – thank you, here's the next chapter for you


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: Don't own (although I'd love to have my very own Norman Reedus :D) don't sue!

Lyrics are from 'Rain' by Patty Griffin

**Rain**

**Chapter Six**

It's hard to listen to a hard, hard heart  
>Beatin' close to mine<br>Poundin' up against the stone and steel  
>Walls that I won't climb<br>Sometimes a hurt is so deep, deep, deep  
>You think that you're gonna drown<br>Sometimes all I can do is weep, weep, weep  
>With all this rain fallin' down<br>Strange, how hard it rains now  
>Rows and rows of big dark clouds<br>When I'm holding on underneath this shroud  
>Rain<br>It's hard to know when to give up the fight  
>Some things you want will just never be right<br>It's never rained like it has tonight before  
>Now, I don't wanna beg you, baby<br>For something maybe you could never give  
>I'm not lookin' for the rest of your life<br>I just want another chance to live  
>Strange, how hard it rains now<br>Rows and rows of big dark clouds  
>When I'm holdin' on underneath this shroud<br>Rain

"_They are your legs, not limp spaghetti! Straight! Straight!"_

_She lifted her gaze from her homework. Even through her earphones she could hear the voice cracking like a whip through the huge hall. She despised that man. The bald shiny head reflecting the bright lights, the stench of cigars and hideous musty cologne. She didn't like the way he spoke to her sister. She shifted in the dusty seat until she could see Callie. A flicker of white against the black curtains protecting the painted sets. She hoped that one day she'd be that tall but she doubted it. Callie was so tall, with such long slender limbs that always bent the way she wanted them to, unlike hers. When her long shining hair wasn't contained in a tight bun, it shimmered down her back like sunlight. Her face was shining with sweat as she worked, her white leotard stained and damp. _

_She leaned over the edge of the seat in front. The slippers had been made especially for her, a gift for her sixteenth birthday a few months earlier. She'd tried them on once while Callie was at school. They were much too big but they were soft and supple and they shone in the light. She'd put them back wrong and Callie had hit the roof. After the initial fight, Callie had told her that those slippers were very important to her and she must promise never to play with them again, but if she was gentle she could look at them sometimes. She'd never taken her up on the offer, no matter how much she wanted to. _

"_I'm trying. We've been at this for hours. I'm tired." Callie snapped as she moved back towards the centre of the stage. _

"_Shall I get my violin?" He sneered. "Do it again."_

_Her little hands curled angrily around her book and she would have thrown it at him, if Callie hadn't glanced up at her as if she knew exactly what she was going to do. She sat back in the seat. As much as she intently disliked that man, Callie said he helped her get better. She didn't see how Callie could ever get any better, but then her plump little ten-year-old limbs refused to move the way Callie's did no matter how hard she tried. _

_It was almost an hour later when he was finally satisfied and Callie came to collect her. She looked exhausted and very sweaty, but her face was shining with pride. She followed Callie out of the fire exit and around the building towards the street._

"_What's the hold up, kid?" Callie called when she realised her sister wasn't besides her._

_She'd come to a halt at the opening of the alleyway, her bright green eyes fixed intently on the street opposite them. She jumped when Callie touched her shoulder._

"_What's up?" _

_Her hair was down and it shone in the darkening afternoon light. _

"_I thought I saw…"_

_Callie followed her sister's gaze but she couldn't see anything. There were lots of people surging along the busy streets, hurrying home from work and on their way to meet people. No one was paying them any attention. Callie was concerned. Her sister was a brave spunky little kid who had taken on a gang of thirteen year old kids who were bullying her friend without thinking twice about it. She looked pale and frightened. _

"_What's wrong?"_

_After a moment she shook her head and turned away._

"_Nothing. I'm fine. Let's go home, I'm starving!"_

"_I told you not to watch those movies." Callie teased as she led her towards the bus stop. "They'll give you nightmares."_

"_Will not." _

"_Will too!"_

"_Nuh uh!"_

"_Uh huh!"_

"Cassidy?"

The book on her knee slipped and landed on the wooden floor with a slap. She blinked and turned back to Carl. He'd fallen asleep while she was reading to him and she must have slipped into a daydream. She'd been trying to stay away from Daryl, not trusting herself to stick to her resolution in his intoxicating presence, so working with Carl and keeping him entertained was as good a distraction as any. She retrieved the book.

"Finally awake, sleepyhead?"

He grinned. Her smile flickered when she saw what was in his lap. She had brought her bag in with her and while she'd been daydreaming, he'd obviously gone through it. He saw what she was looking at.

"My mom knocked it over."

Of course she had. Cassidy didn't comment. She'd reserve that for Lori later.

"They're ballet slippers." She said. "For dancing."

"You must be good." He said, handing them back to her. "Why would you keep them, otherwise?"

He really was such a bright kid, he always got straight to the heart of the matter. Sheriff's son.

"I'm alright." She wrapped the slippers in their soft wrappings and slipped them back into the silken bag they came in. "They were my sister's… and she was very good."

Carl looked at her and she sighed, slipping a cigarette out of her pocket and lighting it.

"Lochie said she died. A long time ago."

"Lochie says too much." Cassidy snapped.

She took a long drag and blew out the plume of smoke before she continued.

"She's dead." She said bluntly. "Ten years ago. She killed herself."

Carl jumped as if he'd been stung. Cassidy hesitated. He was very young to hear about that sort of thing, even under the circumstances. She'd been a little older than him when it had all started, but she hadn't understood what had happened until much later. The door opened and Lori entered with a tray. She frowned at Cassidy as she settled the tray on Carl's knees, fluffing up his pillows.

"I'd appreciate you not smoking in here." Lori said sternly.

"I'd appreciate you not going through my things." Cassidy said sweetly.

Lori glared at her with all the dignity she could muster, but her eyes strayed to the bag between them.

"Did you find what you were looking for?"

They continued to glower at each other until Cassidy stubbed out her cigarette on the sole of her boot, dropped her legs down from the edge of Carl's bed and got to her feet.

"I'll see you later, kid."

"Cassidy!" She paused in the doorway. "Sorry about your sister."

* * *

><p>"Morning, sunshine!"<p>

"Fuck off."

Lochie rolled her eyes and kicked the door shut behind her. She waited until Daryl had manoeuvred into a sitting position before handing him the tray of food. He grunted, which she assumed meant thanks. She poked his legs to one side and perched cross-legged on the end of his bed. She reached over and plucked a rather shrivelled apple from the tray.

"She's brooding." Lochie announced after a long uncomfortable silence. "Skulking around outside somewhere with a sulky face an emo would be proud of."

Daryl squinted at her. Lochie was chewing thoughtfully on the apple, her gaze fixed on the window. She was younger than he'd first thought. Cassidy was only twenty-four but Lochie was even younger, and she looked it with her new short hair exposing the pale heart-shaped face.

"She's not as difficult as she likes to think." Lochie sighed, biting into the apple again. "Pretty simple, really. Something happened, when she was a kid. To her sister." Lochie frowned and tossed the apple back onto the tray. "I don't know what happened, she won't talk about it. Anyway. She doesn't trust people. Not even me, really. It's not a personality flaw, it's a personal choice. She chooses not to put herself in a vulnerable position." She drew her knees up to her chin and studied him. "She's so much stronger than you think… and so much more vulnerable." Her grey eyes were very intent on his, there was none of her habitual light-heartedness. "The point is… if she lets you in, appreciate it. It's a bigger step than you think."

She slid down from the bed and padded out of the room.

Daryl looked at the food on the tray. He suddenly didn't have an appetite. He despised lying around helplessly, not knowing what was going on. The fact that Cassidy hadn't been to see him since the night he'd been shot had done nothing to improve his mood.

He moved the tray onto the bedside table. His shoulder was hurting and he couldn't settle. He had nothing to look forward to except a long boring day staring at the four walls of the room again. He tensed when the door opened, but it was only Cassidy.

She'd been sitting outside, smoking and thinking and wishing her chest wasn't aching so much. Why him? Why was he affecting her so badly? She didn't know why all those old memories were resurfacing all of a sudden. It must be that time of year again. He looked at her questioningly. She was half in shadow, leaning back against the closed door.

"I saw Lochie leaving."

He nodded.

"She seems to be telling everyone all my business lately."

"She's worried about you. Said you ain't sleepin'."

Lochie hadn't actually mentioned it but from the dark circles under her usually bright eyes, he was dead on the mark.

"I never have trouble sleeping." She said half-heartedly. "Not usually."

"Why?"

She didn't reply. If she told him about the dreams that had woken her last night and kept her from sleeping again, she'd have to tell him why she was dreaming about such things. Why she heard that voice, those words. All year she pushed those thoughts away, she kept them safe in a dark corner of her mind but her conscience or her subconscious or maybe even the blood linking her to her sister always brought everything she'd buried to the surface around the anniversary of her death.

"You should sleep." He grunted. "You're no use to anyone if you can't even walk in a straight line."

"I can walk just fine." She snapped, demonstrating by crossing the room towards him.

"But you're not sleeping." He pointed out and she frowned.

He shifted across the bed and she peered at him, her brow furrowed in confusion.

"Get in."

"Seriously?" She asked, her voice laced with amusement.

He glared at her as if she had personally offended him. She pondered the idea. Getting into bed with him would make it unutterably harder to keep her hands off him. Her exhaustion made the decision for her. She had experience running on nothing but adrenaline and caffeine but her nightmares were wearing her out. A day or two and she'd be back to normal. He was glowering at her impatiently. She sat down first, unlacing her boots. She felt his hand touch the small of her back, not an exploratory touch but a reassuring one.

She didn't remove her jeans or slide under the sheets, but she lay down besides him just the same.

* * *

><p>It wasn't just his aching shoulder that kept Daryl awake. He wasn't entirely sure when she'd gone from stubborn silence to deep sleep, but he found himself wide awake while she slept. Maybe it was some subconscious desire to protect her while she was most vulnerable. He liked the sound of her steady breathing, it was soothing. Lying in a bed with her and not being able to do anything about it, however, was not. Her Led Zeppelin t-shirt had ridden up in her sleep and he could see the bare sweep of her back swelling into her hip. Her jeans had slipped down and there was a red mark on the creamy flesh where her underwear band had dug in. Her hair was pooling on the pillow between them. It smelt of smoke and sunshine.<p>

She let out a strange noise that almost sounded like a whimper. He tensed but she only rolled over. Her long lashes cast shadows on her freckled cheekbones, her plump lips were pursed and her brow was furrowed. The hand now lying between them clenched tightly onto the sheet beneath her, he could see how white her knuckles were. He tried not to notice her bare navel, exposed when her left leg curled over towards him. She looked almost unbearably young in repose and he shifted a few inches further across the bed away from her. This may not have been such a good idea, after all.

All in all it was a torturous few hours. She was so warm besides him, her intoxicating scent and the little noises she made making his heart rate increase until he was almost certain he was about to have a heart attack. She was becoming agitated, her eyes were rolling rapidly and he could see her pulse racing in her bare throat. She woke with a start. For a millisecond she looked terrified and he reached for her automatically. She flinched back.

It seemed to take her an interminably long time to come to her senses. Eventually she recognised him and the rather frightening look on her face faded. Her cheeks were flushed and she was panting, when she raised her hand to push her sweaty hair back from her face he could see she was trembling. He expected her to bolt, probably slamming the door behind her on her way. Instead she let out a moan and flopped back down against the pillows. He thought she might have fainted but he could see her lashes flickering as she blinked.

"Bad dreams?"

She slanted her gaze towards him. He was working very hard to keep his gaze on her face and not on the way her arm thrown up above her head threw the curve of her chest and her bare navel into sharp relief.

"Memories. If you must know." She sighed, fixing her gaze on the ceiling. "Things I'd rather forget."

She rolled over onto her front, cushioning her head on her arms. She was very close to him and he'd run out of bed.

"You'd think after all this… we'd be able to forget who we were. What's happened to us. What we've done."

"I think there's nothing left to do but remember."

She lifted her eyebrows at him.

"Wow. That's pretty deep there, redneck." He glared. "How's your shoulder?"

He shrugged.

"Do you always invite strange girls into your bed?"

"Never met a gal as strange as you, lady."

"And here I am. In your bed."

"Actually you're more… on the bed."

"Prepositions aside, the fact remains the same."

"I have no idea what you just said, Red."

"You do surprise me."

"Was that sarcasm?"

"Evidently."

"You know, I was trying to be helpful-" He broke off abruptly when he realised she was looking at him strangely.

"And I'm very appreciative. How's the shoulder?" She repeated.

Had his arm been dangling by a thread from his shoulder he would have lied about it when he saw the look in her eye. Of course, with her you never knew.

"It's fine."

She rolled back over onto her back and there was definitely something inviting in her green eyes.

"How fine?"

He edged closer to her, leaning over so he could kiss her. His injured shoulder screamed in protest but he ignored it. Her hands went to his arms, squeezing gently until he rested his weight on her. Her fingers caressed his scalp as she ran her hands through his hair. There was a feverish intensity to her kisses and her fingernails dug into his shoulders. He was slightly clumsy and uncoordinated after days of lying in a bed and he felt her laughter ripple against his cheek when his fingers fumbled with the button of her jeans.

She pushed him gently until he was on his back again. She ran her fingertips along the planes of his bare chest, propping herself up on one elbow besides him. Her hand was inching towards his sweatpants when she stopped. He growled in frustration but she was glaring at him.

"You're bleeding." She said in a thoroughly accusing tone of voice that told him her hand was not going any further south any time soon. "You said you were okay."

"I'm fine."

"We were only making out and now you're bleeding! All over these nasty sheets. When was the last time they were changed?"

He stared at her, completely nonplussed at the turn this conversation had taken. To his amazement her hand had unfastened his pants while he'd been distracted. She was pressing butterfly kisses along his jawline.

"You don't have to do that." He said, catching at her hand.

He wasn't entirely sure why he'd opened his mouth, it didn't seem to be connected to his brain anymore and it definitely wasn't attached to other parts of his anatomy.

"I wasn't offering you a hand job as thanks for a two hour nap."

To his immense relief, she did not sound annoyed or insulted. On the contrary she sounded amused more than anything.

"I was doing it because I want to. Of course… if you don't want me to-" She moved to get off the bed but his hand snatched out and caught her back.

She did some last minute manoeuvring and just managed to avoid landing on his injured shoulder as she tumbled back onto the bed.

"I will definitely take you up on that later." Even as he said it he was cursing himself. "You need to sleep or you'll trip over your own feet and hand yourself over to the geeks as brunch."

"Anyone would think you care."

He gave her a dirty look.

"What are we going to do? Cuddle?"

His look became positively frosty and his eyes narrowed so far they were almost slits.

"Spoon? How about if you roll over and I put my arm around you?"

"You're doing this on purpose, ain't ya?"

"Just curious."

"Shut up and go to sleep."

"You going to protect me?"

"Shut up."

"Because right now you don't look like as if you could protect a lettuce leaf from a particularly elderly hungry tortoise."

"Go to sleep."

"I'm just saying. As body guards go, right now I'd probably be better off taking my chances with an arthritic poodle in charge of my safety."

"I take it back. Out."

"You can't just rescind an invitation like that. It's rude. And not very gentlemanly."

"_I__'__m_ bein' rude?"

"Stop whining, Dixon. I'm trying to sleep."

* * *

><p>It was hours later when Daryl finally woke up. Rain was thundering against the window and clattering on the roof. The room was pitch black and the bed besides him was empty. He blinked in the darkness but the rumpled sheets besides him were definitely empty. They were warm though, so she hadn't been gone long. He tensed when the door opened.<p>

"Chill out, redneck. You'll do yourself an injury."

She always sounded happiest when she was ripping into him. Well not 'happy' exactly, more smugly amused. She placed a glass of water on the bedside table.

"What time is it?" He asked gruffly, gesturing for the glass until she handed it to him.

"Either very early or very late, depending on how you look at it. Hence the freezing cold floors."

"So get into bed then." He snapped after he'd gulped half the glass down.

He could almost sense the look she gave him in the dark room but she crept under the sheets nonetheless. He realised she'd changed out of her jeans when her bare thigh brushed against him. She read his silence.

"Have you ever tried sleeping in jeans? So not comfortable."

He wanted to ask why she was still here, why she'd come back to his bed. It must mean something, right?

"Budge up, I'm freezing."

She snuggled right up against him, close enough to feel the heat of his body but not enough to lean against his wounded shoulder.

"You're like a furnace." She mumbled. "Have you got a fever?"

She lifted one arm and pressed her palm against his forehead. It wasn't any warmer than usual.

"I don't have to stay." Her breath was warm on his bare arm.

"You want to leave?" He muttered, already slightly dozy with sleep again.

"Are you kidding? It's arctic out there. The weather in this country is fucked up."

Cassidy and Lochie had moved into a rather large tent Lochie had procured from god-knows-where, almost as soon as she'd joined them. They'd set it up away from both the house and the makeshift camp. If Cassidy left now she'd have to walk in the pouring rain for much longer than she had any intention of doing.

"You want me to leave?"

The pause was almost painful. Two people who never discussed, or even admitted to having, emotions. Cassidy didn't want to think about how much it mattered to her what his reply would be.

"No."

"Are you asking me to stay?"

There was another lengthy pause.

"I'm asking you not to leave."

"Is that the same thing?"

They fell silent.

"I was scared." She finally whispered, and she'd moved so close he could feel her lips moving against his bicep. "When I heard about what happened. I've only felt like that once before. That sick feeling as if there's a lead weight in the pit of your stomach. I never wanted to experience that again."

He felt the tremor run through her body as she shivered.

"Your sister?"

They were getting to the point where they communicated just as well through silence as they did through actual words. Her non-reply spoke volumes more than anything she could have said.

"That was ten years ago, right?"

She sighed.

"Fourteen years ago, actually." She finally said.

Daryl didn't comment. He was pretty much lost right now but he got the feeling he shouldn't interrupt.

"What were you dreaming about?"

He felt her shrug against him. Her hair was soft on his arm and she didn't seem to realise that her hand had latched onto his bicep.

"What happened to your sister?" He guessed.

"No. What I did after what happened to my sister."

She rolled over away from him.

"Don't do that." He growled. He could almost see her clamming up.

"What do you care?" She snapped.

He grabbed her by the shoulders and dragged her back towards him. She struggled half-heartedly. One moment they were struggling and the next they were locked together. They wrestled but Daryl was still injured. His shoulder didn't hurt enough to stop him from tearing off her t-shirt though. His rough hand stroked the tattoo peeking out from under her black bra. She kissed him as she worked on his pants. She used one hand to pull the band down and the other to tickle the sensitive skin she exposed under his bellybutton. She could feel soft downy hair against her knuckles, goosebumps springing up under her fingers.

His fingers worked the clasp of her bra, massaging the tender skin underneath when it released.

His breath hissed sharply between his teeth when she gripped him. He was torn between his own enjoyment, and pointing out that it had been a very long time and he wasn't likely to last nearly as long. He could taste her smirk when she kissed him. He tossed her over and she grunted in surprise.

Had she not been so excited she might have protested at the brutal treatment one of her few pairs of panties were subjected to as Daryl snatched them. The thin wispy lace tore easily.

He decided he rather liked the breathless huffs and gasps she emitted as his slender fingers probed experimentally. From her forceful personality he'd expected her to take charge but she seemed perfectly happy to let him take over. She didn't entirely disappoint his theory of how well he knew her by now, because she never gave an inch. Even when he had her quivering like a badly set jelly against him, he could sense the barriers were still up. Firmly up. It was strange. This was about as intimate as you could get with somebody and yet he felt further away from her than ever.

* * *

><p><strong>Dalonega<strong>**Noquisi** – I know he was, I fudged the details a little bit to help along my fic. Here's the next one.

**gurl3677** – he got it :) and he'll be getting plenty more

**SaraLostInes** – thanks I quite enjoyed writing it too lol.

**mvolner** – thanks very much :D I am a total grammar nazi, people who can't tell the difference between their/there/they're really piss me off. He's the only reason I watch it too, I was on tenterhooks all week waiting for the episode when he was hurt in case they killed him off.


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: Don't own (although I'd love to have my very own Norman Reedus :D) don't sue!

Lyrics are from 'Rain' by Patty Griffin

**Rain**

**Chapter Seven**

It's hard to listen to a hard, hard heart  
>Beatin' close to mine<br>Poundin' up against the stone and steel  
>Walls that I won't climb<br>Sometimes a hurt is so deep, deep, deep  
>You think that you're gonna drown<br>Sometimes all I can do is weep, weep, weep  
>With all this rain fallin' down<br>Strange, how hard it rains now  
>Rows and rows of big dark clouds<br>When I'm holding on underneath this shroud  
>Rain<br>It's hard to know when to give up the fight  
>Some things you want will just never be right<br>It's never rained like it has tonight before  
>Now, I don't wanna beg you, baby<br>For something maybe you could never give  
>I'm not lookin' for the rest of your life<br>I just want another chance to live  
>Strange, how hard it rains now<br>Rows and rows of big dark clouds  
>When I'm holdin' on underneath this shroud<br>Rain

It took Cassidy a long moment to realise why she was lying in a warm bed rather than a musty tent listening to Lochie's snuffly little sleep-mumbles. It was grey outside, still early. They hadn't been asleep for long. Daryl stirred. She pondered making her escape before he woke up but she just didn't have the energy… and it was still cold. She was lying on her front, hugging the warm pillow beneath her to her chest but there was a chill sweeping over her bare back. She couldn't seem to gather the energy to pull up the sheets though.

"You're starin'."

She grinned.

"Maybe I like what I see."

"Sweet talk? Really."

"Wouldn't it be classed as pillow talk?"

He finally opened his eyes and looked at her. She looked softer and more vulnerable first thing in the morning. Her hair was wild and all over the place, rippling over her bare shoulders and back.

"No nightmares?"

"I guess not." She said evasively. "Must have worn me out."

He smirked at her. After a moment his expression was serious again. Cassidy sighed, burying her cheek deeper into the soft pillow.

"She was attacked."

He blinked at her in confusion but she wasn't looking at him now, she was staring intently at a spot on his neck she'd paid great attention to during the night. There was quite a sizeable bite mark on his bronzed skin beneath the stubble.

"My sister. Attacked. Raped. Brutalized. Beaten to within an inch of her life, actually. The doctors said it was a miracle she survived the beating."

There was no expression in her voice; no sadness or grief or even rage.

"So she killed herself."

"No. She was doing well. She recovered… at least physically. Went back to school, passed all her exams. Applied to college."

"So what happened?"

"The trial. They were acquitted. All five of them. It was like something inside her broke. She was so strong. She made it through the attack and she made it through the trial… but when they were released…" Her voice wavered slightly and she moved closer without realising. "Doctors said she had a mental breakdown. She wouldn't eat, wouldn't sleep… when she was attacked they dislocated her hip and broke her knee in three places so she couldn't even dance. She just sat in her room and stared at the walls. For months. Eventually my parents had to have her committed, she was wasting away right in front of us. She spent three years in that place. Never made any progress though. She only ate when they made her. She never spoke to us again, not a word."

Cassidy swallowed the lump in her throat and buried her face in the pillow rather than look at him. She didn't know why she was telling him all this, she hadn't even told Lochie these things and Lochie was basically her best friend.

"No offence, but you ain't the type a girl who lets somebody get away with somethin' like that."

She didn't reply but she turned away from him and he saw the muscles tighten in her bare back.

"I was ten when it happened. Eleven when they were acquitted. She was dead by the time I was fourteen and I didn't find out the details until years later."

She rolled back towards him and he was immediately distracted by her nakedness. Probably her intention.

"I knew she'd been attacked but my parents never explained the extent of the damage."

"How'd you find out?"

He dragged his eyes up to her face with some difficulty; it was very cold in the room after all.

"I had a friend hack into the police computers and download the file."

She leant against his bare chest, drawing little circles on his stomach with her fingernails. She was suddenly cold all over and it had nothing to do with the temperature of the room.

"I wanted to know what happened."

His hand brushed her arm. She sounded very far away, as if she was someplace else.

"I got my wish. Do you know what it's like, to listen to your own sister… your flesh and blood, describe the kind of things those fuckers did to her? To hear the voice that used to tell you stories while, describing her gang rape in such agonizing detail."

Her own voice was trembling but he kept silent. He wasn't good at the comforting thing but he reached out and brushed his fingers over her forehead. It was burning as if her memories had brought on a fever. When she spoke again her voice was steadier.

"It didn't even sound like her real voice. It was so calm. She didn't sound angry or upset or as if she was in shock. It was almost robotic. It was far scarier than the things she was saying."

"How old were you?"

"Seventeen." She murmured against his chest.

He had to remind himself that she was only twenty-four, even if she acted so much older. They lay silently for a while, watching the light filtering through the window getting brighter and brighter.

"Hey lovebirds!" The door rattled as Lochie banged on it from the other side. "Wakey wakey."

"I'll kill her." Cassidy groaned, tucking her hands over her head. "No, really. With my bare hands."

They could hear Lochie cackling with laughter through the thin wooden door. Cassidy wearily levered herself up from the bed and tugged on her jeans and t-shirt. Her bra and panties were a complete loss so she screwed them up and tucked them into her back pocket.

"You should try getting up, you know." She suggested as she rooted under the pillows for her hair-tie.

"I'm injured." He pointed out, not moving an inch.

"Please." She scoffed. "Anyway." She leaned over him to retrieve the hair-tie he was snapping against his palm.

He caught her against him. She kissed him back, ignoring the sinking feeling in her stomach. He had much too big an effect on her.

"These sheets definitely need changing." She murmured against his lips. "Especially after all the things we just did."

She pushed away from him with a grin. Lochie stumbled into the room when Cassidy pulled open the door. She'd clearly been leaning against it, listening.

"You are such a cock-block." Cassidy hissed in an undertone as Lochie grabbed her for balance.

* * *

><p>"Well?"<p>

Lochie's grin was so wide, Cassidy was almost concerned that her head might split in two.

"Well?" She shot back evasively as they emerged into the already warm sunlight.

"Come on!" Lochie whined. "I don't need a diagram, just a general summary." She grinned. "Maybe a few dimensions."

"Shut up."

"Well he's so wonderfully built, I just wondered if he was all in proportion."

"Shut up."

Cassidy walked straight to their tent and gathered up her dirty clothes for washing. Not really because she wanted to, mainly just to avoid Lochie's eye.

"So come on, spill." Lochie crouched down in the grass besides her as she sorted out whose clothes were whose. "Did you use all your nasty, dirty little tricks to find out all there is to know about him?"

"We had sex, Lochie. We did not spend the night discussing who we are." Cassidy snapped, feeling guilt flare in her gut. She'd never told Lochie anything about her past or her family or her sister but she'd told Daryl half of it, someone she'd barely known for a few days.

Lochie was about to reply when she stopped and sniffed. They'd pitched their tent a little way away from the other tents and the RV but they could still hear what was going on there usually. Right now they could smell breakfast.

"Morning."

Cassidy blinked in surprise when Carl came into view bearing a tray of fruit and some of the meat they'd smelt.

"You actually have legs, kid." Cassidy teased as Lochie pounced on the tray.

"I'm learning to shoot." Carl said shyly. "Are you coming?"

"I don't need to learn." Cassidy pointed out.

Lochie elbowed Cassidy sharply in the ribs. Cassidy scowled at her irritably but she was gesturing at Carl. He looked crestfallen.

"Maybe next time." She ruffled his hair until his cheeks turned pink. "Shoot something for me, will ya?"

He opened his mouth to reply but Lori's voice rang out shrilly. He gave her a small smile and darted back towards the camp.

"That's your big plan for the day, laundry?" Lochie said doubtfully as Cassidy piled her washing into a borrowed bucket and set off towards the well for water.

"Well given the vast array of opportunities available to me…"

Lochie stuck her tongue out at her departing back, following her through the dry grass.

"Really, though… what was it like?"

"It was sex." Cassidy said flatly, quite glad that Lochie couldn't see her face. "Nasty, hot, sweaty sex. What do you want me to say?"

Truthfully, whilst Daryl's injury had prevented it from being the most interesting sex she'd ever had, it had been the hottest and the most intense. And it had affected her the most. Which was why she was suddenly so squeamish about dissecting the whole night with Lochie.

"Something's going on." Lochie said out of the blue, catching up to Cassidy and glancing at the fields around them.

Cassidy didn't reply, but she knew exactly what she meant. Something was boiling up and their lovely little camp was about to explode. Another reason to keep her distance.

* * *

><p>"Laundry, huh?"<p>

Cassidy was busy untangling a studded belt from Lochie's netted shirt. Daryl threw a long shadow over her and she frowned.

"You're blocking my light, sasquatch." She snapped.

He grunted. She finally separated the two items and swung the net shirt over the line.

"Finally finished moping around in bed then?"

His face darkened angrily and she grinned. Her face fell when she saw the new bandages. He followed her gaze and shrugged his uninjured shoulder.

"Apparently vigorous activity is not advised." He was parroting Hershel's words at her but the wicked glint in his eye was entirely his own and she felt heat pooling beneath her stomach.

"You should be resting."

She hung up the last of Lochie's clothes and wiped a damp hand across her sweaty forehead.

"You're not going to be any use to anyone if you keel over."

He ignored her, quite engrossed in eyeing a pair of lacy black underwear dangling from the line.

"I'm going to have none left, the way you go at them." She grumbled, tipping out the used water.

He reached out, hooked a finger into the back of her jeans and tugged her back towards him.

"Is that an offer?"

She didn't reply, not trusting her voice to remain steady. His big hand was caressing the bare skin between her vest and jeans, sending fireworks flashing through her navel. She could feel him pressing against the back of her thigh, the hard planes of his chest warm against her back. The field they were in was pretty much isolated, hidden behind a small grove of trees. The camp was almost deserted, everyone was either hunting for the girl or learning to shoot. Lochie had wandered off somewhere as she was prone to do. They were as alone as they were ever likely to get.

"I thought you weren't supposed get vigorous." She murmured, finding it rather difficult to form coherent thoughts when he was nuzzling her neck.

"I never listened to a doctor before."

His breath was warm against her bare skin and her breathing hitched. Bad idea, very bad idea. Once may have been explained away as a tension-reliever but doing it again was something else. Although the things his warm dirty hands were doing to her... and his lips were so very enticing when they were that close to her ear… and it really was very hard to think of a reason not to when he was pressed so tightly against her, hard against her thigh. Why was she resisting again?

He seemed to have her clothes off with surprising rapidity. One minute she'd been squirming happily against him and the next she was amongst the prickly long grass. She tugged his sleeveless shirt off impatiently, almost ripping it in her hurry. When he chuckled she felt his chest rumbling against her. The grass was scratchy and warm against her bare back as he slipped her vest over her head.

"This is a very stupid idea." She murmured into his hair as he pressed his lips under her jaw.

He grunted against her throat.

"We're total walker bait if we get attacked."

He mumbled something against her collarbone, something that sounded a lot like "it's worth it". Last night had been hurried and frenzied, breaking the tension that had been building. A release. This was infinitely more exciting as Daryl's tongue lapped languorously against her bellybutton, his nimble fingers working the zipper on her jeans. His shoulder was still aching from the night before and it protested fiercely at its treatment now but he had absolutely no intentions of stopping. Clothes were discarded in record time and they lay there for a while, the sun hot and dry on their naked skin, exploring every inch of each other.

Cassidy had determined to be as quiet as possible, lessening the risk they were running of attracting any walkers, but when he finally slid inside her a helpless groan slipped from her lips before she could contain it. As heated and intense as the night before had been, this was far more intimate, not just because the bright sunlight illuminated every inch of them.

"I've never had sex outside before." Cassidy observed afterwards, quite enjoying the warm sticky breeze cooling the sweat on her skin.

She reached over and snared the cigarette from his lips.

"I guess that's what they do around here. It's much too cold in England for this sort of behaviour."

She rolled onto her front, cushioning her head on his bare abdomen. Her long tangled hair brushed against him and he twitched against her ribcage.

"Of course now I've got grass in every orifice known to man."

He laughed and she felt it rumble through her. She felt warm, satisfied and happy. The sun was comfortable on her bare skin and she could feel his steady heartbeat pulsing through his body beneath her chest. She must have fallen into a hazy doze because the next thing she knew shouting voices nearby had her heart hammering. She pushed herself up onto her elbows and peered over the tall grass surrounding them. Maggie and Glenn were shouting at each other on the other side of the field. Cassidy ducked back down as Maggie whirled around and stomped towards them. They'd managed to flatten quite an impressive area around them with their antics but she could just about keep out of sight. Daryl stirred besides her and she hurriedly clamped her hand over his mouth before he could speak. His eyes narrowed worriedly and she shook her head.

"Just Maggie and Glenn." She whispered, removing her hand as he slumped back against the flattened grass.

"Ashamed?" He suddenly grunted, one arm lying across his forehead shading his eyes against the sun.

"What?" She asked in surprised, blinking at him.

"Scared they might find out you screwed me?"

She stared at him.

"Of course not." She snapped, glancing back over the grass. "They were having a domestic. None of our business." She narrowed her eyes at him suspiciously. "Why? Are you ashamed?"

He gave her look that told her she'd said something stupid and she grinned, nudging his ribs with her toe. He squirmed and her face lit up with malicious glee.

"You're ticklish!" She crowed.

He eyed her warily, quite blatantly aroused at the sight of her crouching naked with her tangled hair rippling over her shoulders and a wicked glint in her eye. She would have pounced on him and tickled him until he begged for mercy but the sound of Maggie and Glenn's argument distracted her. She sat and listened without really listening, not wanting to eavesdrop but trying to ascertain whether they were moving closer to them or not. He studied her from under the weight of his uninjured arm. He found himself noticing things he hadn't before. The little silver stars in her ears and the tiny crosses behind them. The delicate silver chain around her neck ending in a pretty silver tear-shaped pendant. There was a bruise in the middle of her back where she'd landed hard while sparring with Lochie a few days ago. Her toenails had been painted red and the polish had started to chip.

"You're staring at me." She grumbled, pink flushing across her cheeks.

"They still there?"

She settled down and leant back, turning her face to the sun.

"Nope. Probably getting down and dirty. Must be the country air."

Daryl choked on his cigarette.

"You think they're-"

"Uh yeah." She gave him an 'obviously' look. "You people are in each other's pockets but you don't know who's doing who?"

She'd stretched her legs out in front of her and he brushed his fingertips over her dirty toes, caressing the arch of her foot.

"I kinda thought… Lochie…"

She lifted her eyebrows at him in amusement, incredibly entertained at the idea of him partaking in some juicy gossip.

"Nah, he's not her type." She leant even further back on the heels of her hands and he watched the shadows at her navel smoothing out as she arched her back.

"Who is?"

He wasn't really interested but keeping her talking would stop her from noticing that he was once again fully aroused.

"Rick."

He snorted.

"He's old enough to be her daddy."

She looked at him very pointedly.

"Pot. Kettle. Black."

"I'm not that old." He grumbled. "What's so bloody exciting about that damn Sheriff?"

"Well he's hot. Good husband, good father. He'd risk his life to protect innocents. He's strong which is always sexy. Not to mention the body-"

"Alright… I'm sorry I asked."

His face had darkened and she grinned, leaning over him.

"Don't get jealous, redneck." She squeezed him until his stomach clenched and he growled. "I promise you, as sexy as Rick is, it wasn't him I was thinking about."

They were very likely to end up staying in that field for the rest of the day and well into the night, had they not heard the voices nearby signalling the searchers' return to camp. Cassidy sighed and, ignoring Daryl's grumblings, groped around for her clothes.

* * *

><p><strong>LadyLecter47<strong> – thanks, here's more for you :)

**gurl3677** – indeed

**tnnurse** – thanks. Me too, hope you like it

**SaraLostInes** – yup, there's more to come about the past too but I really don't like those fics where they spend whole chapters going on about their OC and their past. I like to drop a bit here and there instead.

**mvolner** – not at all, I'd quite happily cause one if I could guarantee myself a Daryl Dixon into the bargain. Here you go, you can stop holding your breath now :)


	8. Chapter 8

A/N: Don't own (although I'd love to have my very own Norman Reedus :D) don't sue!

Lyrics are from 'Rain' by Patty Griffin

**Rain**

**Chapter Eight**

It's hard to listen to a hard, hard heart  
>Beatin' close to mine<br>Poundin' up against the stone and steel  
>Walls that I won't climb<br>Sometimes a hurt is so deep, deep, deep  
>You think that you're gonna drown<br>Sometimes all I can do is weep, weep, weep  
>With all this rain fallin' down<br>Strange, how hard it rains now  
>Rows and rows of big dark clouds<br>When I'm holding on underneath this shroud  
>Rain<br>It's hard to know when to give up the fight  
>Some things you want will just never be right<br>It's never rained like it has tonight before  
>Now, I don't wanna beg you, baby<br>For something maybe you could never give  
>I'm not lookin' for the rest of your life<br>I just want another chance to live  
>Strange, how hard it rains now<br>Rows and rows of big dark clouds  
>When I'm holdin' on underneath this shroud<br>Rain

"If you keep doing that, Red, we're going to put on a lot more a show than I'm comfortable with."

Cassidy grinned and removed her hands from where she'd been massaging Daryl's tense shoulders. She leant forwards so her long hair formed a curtain between them and the rest of the camp a few feet away.

"I was just trying to help, redneck. You don't seem to understand the concept of resting."

"You don't seem to understand that what you're doing will not lead to resting." He chastised, gripping his knees tightly beneath his hands to keep from touching her.

They were drawing a lot of attention but Daryl's grumpy demeanour and Cassidy's standoffish-ness had them keeping their distance.

"Maybe I like it like that." She breathed, her breath warm against the lobe of his ear. "Maybe an audience does it for me."

"Playing with fire." He growled warningly as one of her little hands crept into the opening of his shirt.

Her body was shielding most of them from the group around the fire and the dim light from the setting sun cast enough shadows for her probing fingers to be hidden from view. He grunted and hunched over when her fingers brushed his jeans.

"What're you doing?"

Her palm rubbed him gently through the rough denim of his jeans.

"I'm bored." Her tongue touched the shell of his ear. "I need entertaining."

His eyes were fixed firmly on the group around the fire. No one was looking at them.

"Hey." They both jumped guiltily. Lochie was looking at them. "We need more firewood."

Daryl climbed to his feet. Cassidy sighed impatiently at the interruption and was about to join Lochie by the fire when Daryl's hand latched onto her wrist and yanked her out into the darkness with him.

"I thought you were out here looking for wood." She said as he practically dragged her along.

"I thought you were going to finish what you started."

She laughed as he threw her against a wide tree, his mouth working at her throat and his hands working at the buttons of her shorts. She pushed his hands away and he grunted. His impatient grunt turned into a growl of surprise as the warm night air hit his sensitive exposed skin.

"Do you think they'll realise where we are?"

He shrugged, too worked up to reply as her long fingers rubbed and caressed and stroked. He really couldn't care less who knew what they were doing, he was far more interested in what they were doing. He was so intent on undoing the buttons of her shirt, he ripped several of them off and they pinged off into the undergrowth like tiny bullets. She'd washed after sparring with Lochie and hadn't thought to put a bra on afterwards, as he pushed aside her shirt her bare skin broke out in tiny goosebumps.

As his mouth worked against her throat, his hand slid along her bare thigh until he reached the edge of her panties peeking through the shorts. She shivered as his knuckles brushed against her. He groaned, buried his face in the cloud of hair pooling on her shoulder and erupted in her hand.

"Hey! We're freezing over here, get a move on!"

Cassidy's head fell back against the rough bark of the tree as Daryl caught his breath.

"That fucking bint." She sighed. "I swear to god that girl is the best form of contraception on this Earth."

He chuckled. She fastened her ruined shirt in a bow to cover herself up, wiping her hands on the tree.

"We better get back before they send out a search party."

Daryl was about to reply when Rick appeared bearing an armful of firewood. It was somewhat obvious what they'd been up to, their cheeks flushed and Daryl pressed up against her with his jeans still open. Rick didn't comment, he just nodded and continued on his way.

"Awkward." Cassidy muttered as they followed him towards the fire.

Cassidy hesitated just before they rejoined the others.

"Hey, next time it's my turn." She breathed.

"Yes ma'am."

* * *

><p>"This is your fault, you know."<p>

Cassidy staggered to a halt and leant against a nearby tree to catch her breath. Lochie disentangled herself and hopped over to a gnarly old tree stump nearby.

"In what way is this my fault?" Cassidy protested, swiping sweaty bloodied hair out of her eyes.

Lochie manoeuvred down awkwardly onto the stump, extending her injured leg out in front of her with a grimace of pain.

"You should have told me it was there."

"I did tell you it was there!" Cassidy objected as fiercely as she could when she still hadn't caught her breath back yet.

"Well you should have been clearer." Lochie insisted, tucking her hair behind her ears as she squinted down at her bloodied leg.

"Yeah I can see how 'watch out for the trap' might be confusing for you." Cassidy pointed out, kneeling down before Lochie to look at her wound. "You weren't listening."

"Don't start." Lochie snapped, hissing in pain when Cassidy unwound her shirt from Lochie's wounded leg.

"I'm just saying… you don't listen."

The shirt was soaked in blood and Cassidy's hands were sticky with it as she checked the damage. It wasn't a particularly gruesome wound but it had bled like a bitch. A significant gash almost the length of her entire calf. With any luck she'd get away with only a few stitches.

"I do too!" Lochie swore as Cassidy re-bandaged her leg, pulling the shirt tighter to secure it. Any drops of blood would lead walkers right to them. "Is this about the lake house incident?"

"No." Cassidy snapped, turning her attention to her own wound. Whilst struggling to save Lochie's leg and grapple with a passing walker, she'd taken a nasty flailing branch to the ribs and she had the uncomfortable feeling that she'd broken at least one. "Although I did say turn left."

"You did not!" Lochie howled mutinously. "You said right."

"Did not." Cassidy murmured distractedly, probing the nasty bruise blooming over her ribcage.

"Did too! I said 'turn left?' and you said 'right'." Lochie insisted, swiping sweat from her forehead.

"Yeah, as in 'right, turn left'."

"Well you didn't say that! You said right."

"It was a dead end, Lochie! Of course I meant left, turning right put us in the lake. Literally."

"Yeah… and whose car got swamped in icky lake water? Who had to pay for the repairs?

"Who turned right and drove us into the lake?"

"You said to turn right!"

Cassidy glared at Lochie, who glared right back. They had had this argument at least once a month since the accident three years ago. It never got them anywhere. Cassidy held out her hand to Lochie. She took it, trying not to lean too hard on Cassidy when she knew she was hurt too. Cassidy levered Lochie to her feet, wrapping an arm around her waist again. Lochie leant her arm on Cassidy's shoulder, taking the weight off her painful leg.

"Are we nearly there?"

Cassidy squinted into the trees around them as they set off again.

"About half a mile."

Lochie didn't reply. Cassidy could feel the tension in her friend's body, every muscle rigid as she forced herself to keep going. What hadn't seemed like a long trip out had turned out to be a very long way back after Lochie had fallen into the trap and hurt her leg.

"Do you believe this?" Lochie grumbled as they made their slow, painful way back towards the farm.

"Daryl is never going to let me forget about this." Cassidy agreed.

"_Where you going?"_

"_Hunting." Cassidy said around the leather belt dangling from her mouth as she fiddled with the strap on her knife sheath._

"_Alone?"_

_She gave him a quizzical look as she took the belt from her mouth and slid it into the loops of her jeans._

"_With Lochie." She frowned at him. "What's with the Inquisition?" _

_He shrugged, scratching his cheek and watching her as she strapped the knife to her thigh. _

"_You're not worried about me, are you?" She looked about ready to burst out laughing at the very idea of it. "Please, redneck. You think I need a babysitter?"_

"_I think you're like catnip for trouble." He grunted irritably, not willing to admit that he was more concerned about her than he'd like to be. "And if you go tripping out into the woods like a bunch a tourists, you ain't likely to come back." _

"_Would you miss me?"_

_He glared at her. She laughed and pressed her warm palm against his chest._

"_Don't worry about it. I'll be fine."_

"Bet you wish you'd let him tag along now, don't you?"

Cassidy's laugh turned into a wheeze of pain and she stumbled. She was feeling slightly faint, the difficulty breathing clashing with the strain of half-carrying Lochie so far.

"Of course not." She lied.

"You can't lie for shit."

Cassidy tripped over a fallen branch in surprise and Daryl's hand flashed out to steady her. She would have glared at him, if she'd had the energy. He took Lochie's other arm and some of the weight left Cassidy's shoulder, easing the pain in her chest.

"I'm an excellent liar, thank you." Cassidy snapped back as they set off back towards the farm.

They moved a lot quicker with two of them spreading Lochie's weight between them.

"Can I just point out." Lochie wheezed breathlessly. "That it's the three injured people who are in the woods brimming over with walkers."

"Who's fault is that?" Daryl said with a very pointed glower at Cassidy over Lochie's bent head.

"I agree."

"What?" Cassidy cursed. "It was your idea to go hunting!"

"I wanted to go fishing."

"Where? Have you seen any water likely to carry uncontaminated fish around here?"

"You insisted on going alone, I wanted to bring that sexy Sheriff with us."

"He was with his wife, Lochie… and if I'd known you were going to do nothing but whine I would have stayed put."

"Well excuse me for not enjoying having my leg ripped open by some lunatic's homemade trap."

"I told you to watch where you were going."

"It took you long enough to get me out."

"I was busy saving your ungrateful ass from a trio of nasty walkers." Cassidy snapped. "Next time I'll leave them to it."

"Oh that's nice… I'm your best friend and you'd quite happily just leave me there as walker food?"

"When you're in one of these moods then yes, I would!"

"One of these moods? You mean the kind of mood where my leg feels like it's hanging off and I've just narrowly avoided becoming an appetizer?"

"You know, it doesn't matter because there won't be a next time, I have no intention of ever doing anything with you ever again."

"Oh and I'm the spoiled brat? You're basically saying you're never going to play with me again."

"No, I'm saying I'm never going to save your bitchy ass again."

"Ladies! Whoa. Calm it down, will ya?" Daryl interrupted nervously, not quite betting on his chances against the pair of them in the mood they seemed to be in.

The two of them fell into an annoyed silence as they made their way back to the camp. Once they were in sight of the house, Lochie slowed down.

"I don't want that guy touching me." She said suddenly.

Daryl flinched back as if she'd slapped him.

"Not you." She grinned. "I have no problems with you touching me, at all." Her smile fell and she cast a dark look at the building ahead of them. "Hershel. Creeps me out. Like a lot. Even more than walkers do."

Cassidy didn't reply and Daryl could see that she thoroughly agreed with Lochie. She nodded at him and they started moving again.

"It's just a scratch. I should be able to take care of it."

They skirted around the makeshift camp and the barn towards their tent, managing to avoid everyone except one of Hershel's people who watched them carefully but didn't comment. Cassidy dragged Lochie's sleeping bag out of the tent and Lochie lay down on it gratefully. Cassidy sent Daryl for clean water and some bandages as she unwrapped her shirt and looked at the wound in the bright sunlight.

"It isn't even as bad as I thought." She said reassuringly, accepting the water from Daryl and washing the blood from her leg. "You probably won't even need stitches."

"Damn. Scars are hot." Lochie grumbled faintly.

Daryl kept silent as Cassidy cleaned the wound, washed it with alcohol and bandaged it tightly. Lochie fell asleep almost immediately and they covered her with a thin blanket.

"If you say 'I told you so' I will harvest your organs as jewellery." She said quietly, without looking at him.

"You're hurt."

She shrugged, rubbing her sore ribs without commenting. He forced her to get up from the grass and sit in one of the chairs besides the tent so he could look at her ribs.

"You're a doctor now?"

He peered at her from beneath his furrowed brows.

"You're mighty bitchy for someone who might have a bunch of broken ribs."

"They're not broken." She said shortly as his fingers found her bruised rib.

He leant back on his haunches and looked at her. She looked back defiantly.

"I've been looking after myself with a lot of success. This was a one off. If Lochie hadn't been taken by surprise and started squealing we would have made it right past those walkers no trouble." She broke off and rubbed her hands over her face.

"You're tired." He got up and tugged her to her feet. "Sleep. You'll be safe."

"No 'I told you so'?" She asked sceptically.

"Nah." He grinned. "Not my style."

"Ha! Style. Your style? Really?"

"Go to sleep, Red."

She shot him a look but curled up on her sleeping bag nonetheless. She fell asleep straight away, the deep exhausted sleep of someone who never knows where their next safe harbour will be. He sank down into the chair she'd abandoned by the tent entrance. Lochie slept like the dead, flat on her back never moving an inch. Cassidy was a troubled sleeper, she moved around a lot. They'd only spent the full night together once so he had no basis for comparison but it wasn't long before she was tossing and turning. Eventually she rolled over, one arm catching the extra pillow besides her and tugging it to her chest. She cradled it against her chin like it was a teddy bear and for a brief moment he was quite tempted to crawl in there besides her.

He massaged his wound. Lugging Lochie back to the farm had done nothing to help the healing process along.

* * *

><p>Cassidy rolled over, confused about what had woken her up. After a moment of tense listening she heard shouting and she scrambled out of the tent. Lochie was sitting up outside looking bemused and afraid. Cassidy helped her to her feet, keeping as much weight off her injured leg as she could.<p>

"That sounded like Shane." Lochie murmured, her little hand tightening on Cassidy's waist.

"Mr Subtlety? Yeah."

They started towards the noise, moving cautiously but swiftly. Cassidy liked Shane, even if he was on the edge at the moment. Maybe he'd finally blown his top. They crossed the deserted camp. They'd obviously left in a hurry, the fire was burning and breakfast dishes were scattered on the grass. They could hear shouting by the barn, thumping whacks that did not bode well.

"If something happens, drop me." Lochie said quietly as they walked. "You can't protect either of us by clinging onto me."

Cassidy squeezed Lochie's waist to show she understood, her intent gaze fixed closely on the barn. It took a long stunned moment for everything they were seeing to sink in. Shane was going rather ballistic at the barn door, Hershel's people were shouting and Rick was trying to reason with Shane. Lori turned towards them as they approached but for once there was no disdainful look in her eye. She looked petrified and she was keeping a tight grip on Carl. The door gave way with a whining shriek and the silence that followed hung heavy in the air, tight with malice.

Lochie's grip on Cassidy tightened unbearably as the shuffling filled the air. Cassidy took a step back, taking Lochie with her. Her heart was hammering unbearably hard against her bruised ribs and she was sincerely regretting not grabbing a weapon on their way. Despite promising to drop her if the need arose, she couldn't bring herself to fling her friend into the grass to save her own skin. As it turned out, she didn't need to anyway. The shots were very loud in the tense silence and Lori turned, pressing Carl's face against her abdomen. It seemed an interminably long time the shots rang out, a never-ending parade of walkers. Something rippled through the group when the little girl appeared, something snapping and breaking.

"It's her." Lochie, who'd spent hours with Carol listening to her grieve, murmured.

Cassidy didn't need an explanation; Carol had sunk down into the grass. Even with the things she'd seen and done, she'd never heard a sound like that. It was the keening, wailing sound of a heart breaking… a mother's worst fear realised right before her eyes. Daryl had hold of her. Rick moved towards Sophia. Everything seemed to stop. Even the girl walker wasn't moving, nothing except her eyes wavering over each of them. Lochie wavered, shrinking back against Cassidy. She was trembling, clinging onto Cassidy in a way she never had before… a helpless defenceless way. Cassidy did something she'd never done before, she turned away from the danger and put herself between it and Lochie. She felt Lochie's tears damp on her bare collarbone. Lochie jumped violently at the sharp crack of the shot, mumbling something that was lost amongst Carol's renewed sobs.

"Come on." Cassidy murmured, leading Lochie back towards the camp.

Whatever was going to happen between Hershel's people and their little group, was not going to end pleasantly.

* * *

><p><strong>SaraLostInes<strong> – there'll be more Cassidy Daryl building soon, once I've decided how to continue with it

**Raging****Raven** – thanks

**Dalonega****Noquisi** – I was quite surprised when I found out how old he was actually, he certainly doesn't look that old but never mind. Glad you liked it here's some more for you


	9. Hiatus Drabble 1

A/N: Don't own (although I'd love to have my very own Norman Reedus :D) don't sue!

Lyrics are from 'Rain' by Patty Griffin

I think I've decided to post a few random drabbles while the season is on hiatus until February. They're just random scribblings that you won't necessarily have to read to keep up with the fic. It's mainly so I don't write myself into a corner when the second half of the season starts. Merry Christmas!

**Rain**

**Hiatus Drabble 1**

It's hard to listen to a hard, hard heart  
>Beatin' close to mine<br>Poundin' up against the stone and steel  
>Walls that I won't climb<br>Sometimes a hurt is so deep, deep, deep  
>You think that you're gonna drown<br>Sometimes all I can do is weep, weep, weep  
>With all this rain fallin' down<br>Strange, how hard it rains now  
>Rows and rows of big dark clouds<br>When I'm holding on underneath this shroud  
>Rain<br>It's hard to know when to give up the fight  
>Some things you want will just never be right<br>It's never rained like it has tonight before  
>Now, I don't wanna beg you, baby<br>For something maybe you could never give  
>I'm not lookin' for the rest of your life<br>I just want another chance to live  
>Strange, how hard it rains now<br>Rows and rows of big dark clouds  
>When I'm holdin' on underneath this shroud<br>Rain

Daryl winced at the sharp light glaring over his face, throwing one arm up to shade his eyes. When the light didn't fade, he blinked and squinted. He was on a bed, a rather huge bed. It wasn't fancy but it was ridiculously large. The sheets beneath him were soft and silky, cool white material against his bare skin. He pushed himself up into a sitting position. He couldn't see much of the room beyond the bed, it was like the bed was its own little island. The bed was a huge four-poster one with thick bronze curtains tied to each post.

He leant back against the pile of pillows behind him in puzzlement. He wasn't entirely sure how he'd ended up here but he wasn't complaining. He realised with a shot of surprise that he was naked… and very clean. His chin felt like he'd actually shaved too. He felt refreshed too, as if he'd actually managed to get a good night's sleep for once. Huh.

"There's the look of half-witted bemusement I'm used to."

His hands clenched automatically on the sheet, drawing it up around his waist. Cassidy had the look of amused affection on her face that he enjoyed most. She looked like he'd never seen her before. She was clean for a start, completely clean not just rinsed clean. Her hair was shining and curled, held back above her ears with pins and rippling over her shoulders. She was in a pretty, simple dress that fell in fluttery waves to her knees. It was cut quite high and halter-necked, exposing her bare shoulders. She saw him looking and she grinned.

"Do you like it?" She held the skirt away from her with both hands, floating it backwards and forwards until it swished in a completely girly move that was almost more shocking than the dress. "You must do."

He frowned, watching as she padded around the end of the big bed, one hand trailing along the wooden baseboard. Her feet were bare, her painted toenails flashing in the light.

"Green is your favourite colour."

He blinked in surprise, wondering how she knew that. It wasn't exactly the kind of thing they talked about. She turned away from him. The back of her dress was cut out to just beneath her shoulder blades. He was used to seeing her bare back by now, but it looked strangely vulnerable against the dark silk of the dress.

He licked his suddenly dry lips as she reached behind her, tugging the knot of the dress until it released. It slithered to the ground with a whispery sound as the silky material pooled at her bare feet. He wondered where she'd found the lingerie. It was green too, dark ivy green that made her eyes sparkle like emeralds. A delicate boned corset made of lace and matching underwear that gave him a tantalizing view of what was to come.

"Where did-" He swallowed.

She cocked her head to the side and looked him, her brow furrowed in confusion. She twirled in a circle, her hair swinging. She peeped at him over her shoulder and he swallowed.

"Don't you like it?"

He could only nod.

"Not what I expected." He finally managed to say. "Not you."

She smiled, her lips ruby red and glistening enticingly. Her tongue darted out and ran along her lower lip. He felt a bead of sweat trickle from under his hairline and running down his cheek.

"Of course not. You picked it."

He had absolutely no memory of ever laying an eye on those scraps of lace before but he was damned glad he had. She moved around the bed, stepping out of the dress at her feet delicately. He was intently distracted by the way her hand caressed the beam of the four-poster bed as she passed it. She used the beam to climb up onto the bed, quite a lot more gracefully than he would have expected. She ran the palms of her hands along the underside of the canopy above, wandering around the bed idly.

He was at a complete loss. He really had no idea. Maybe he'd been shot again… or banged his head… or maybe he was actually dead. Whatever it was, he really didn't care.

"Come here." He growled, having had quite enough of watching her moving just out of reach.

"Always in such a rush." She chided, not moving an inch closer to him.

She leant back against the beam, looking inordinately slender and pale against the dark wood.

"I got no idea what's happening but I'm gonna make the most of it."

She spun around quite elegantly again and then stepped towards him, weaving in and out of his legs step by step. She stood over him. He caressed the backs of her calves, the muscles flexing beneath his warm hands. He stretched up, stroking the backs of her thighs and tickling the silky lace there. She dropped down, straddling him. She ran her hands over his bare chest, using her thumbs to rub over the planes of his chest and stomach gently. He kissed her, his hands tangling in her silky hair. She murmured against his lips as he tugged gently, tightening his grip on the silken strands until she groaned. She leant back at his ministrations, exposing her throat to his probing lips. He loved her throat and she knew it, they'd never really had enough time alone for him to enjoy it quite as much as he'd like to. He lapped his tongue over her pulse point until it was fluttering like a trapped bird, then he sank his teeth into the delicate flesh until she shuddered.

Eventually he released the bruised red flesh, running his tongue over the marks he'd left there. She was leaning far back, as far back as she could in the restrictive corset, the expanse of her corseted navel and chest rising before him. Her cheeks had flushed and a rosy blush was spreading over her collarbone and across her chest. Her eyes were dark and heavy-lidded with desire. He had clearly risen to attention, the sheets tented before her but they had been creeping around having frenzied sex for days and now that he could, he had every intention of taking his time.

He went to work on the buttons of the corset, following each one with his mouth and tongue. By the time he'd fully unfastened it she was quite breathlessly squirming beneath his lips. Both of his hands around her waist pulled her forward enough so he could work on her chest. She sighed breathlessly. His hands worked the muscles of her back, massaging and rubbing where the corset had dug in. His tongue flickered over her nipple and she laughed, the genuine laugh of pleasure he rarely heard in the real world.

He rolled her over without breaking contact, revelling when there wasn't even a twitch of pain in his shoulder. Mindful of her complaining that he was always ruining her underwear, he hooked his thumbs into the lace at her hips and slid them slowly down her thighs, trailing his tongue in their wake. She obediently lifted her legs so he could discard them. He wasn't going to tell her that his fantasies often included her sprawled before him, flushed with desire with her huge, usually mocking, eyes glazed with hunger and need.

"If this was your fantasy." He murmured, his lips buried against her soft thigh. "Would it be different?"

"You want me to tell you my fantasies?" She breathed, her eyes had flickered closed and her fingers were grasping at the sheets. She caught her breath as he put a palm on each of her knees and pressed them fully apart.

One of the reasons he would never tell her why this was his fantasy, having her squirming and hot with desire against his mouth and tongue, was because he didn't want to contemplate what that said about how he felt about her.

"Daryl…" She eventually whimpered, her eyes so dark they were almost black as she raked him with them.

He felt a brief flash of triumph that she had finally handed herself over to him so completely. He was aching now though, so hard it hurt just brushing against the silken sheets beneath them. He clambered up the bed, pausing poised above her. He pressed forward gently, hissing between his teeth at the sensation of her against him, still warm and wet from her arousal and his saliva. She ran her hands through his hair, pulling his mouth down to hers. He thrust into her without warning and she bit down on his lip. Her nails dug into his shoulders and he shuddered. He had always been rather rough and hurried, too worried about walkers to take his time. Now he took it slowly, sliding almost all the way out of her before pushing back in gradually. She was shaking violently beneath him, her eyes closed and her head tossing on the pillows. He shoved into her suddenly and she grunted in surprise, her eyes flashing open and her lips tweaking into a grin.

She drew him down to her, her hands tangling in his hair as she kissed him almost desperately. This time when she came, he was eye to eye with her and he saw something flashing in her eyes. He didn't know what it was and he didn't have time to think about it because when she clamped tightly around him, he sank fully into her with a groan.

They lay entangled for a long time. After a moment, he rolled off her. He sighed and she looked at him sadly.

"This is a dream, you know."

He let his head fall back against the wooden headboard. Of course. Much too good to be true.

"You know what that means, don't you?"

He opened his eyes and lifted his head. She was peering at him through her feathery lashes, her hair coiling over one shoulder and tickling her cleavage. She leaned so close to him that his head started to reel. He could see all the golden flecks in her eyes, all the freckles on her cheekbones and dusting her breasts.

"I'm under your command." She breathed, her sweet breath fanning across his cheek. "No strings, no complications, no questions."

She made a very good point. No one to catch them, no one to judge.

"If this was your dream, would it be the same?" He asked.

She sighed and the wicked look he was growing so used to was back in her eyes.

"If this were my dream, Rick would be here."

He jerked and she put a restraining hand on his abdomen before he could struggle to a sitting position.

"With us." She amended cheekily, the smirk on her face quite unreadable.

He gaped at her. She looked innocently back at him.

"With us." He repeated, suddenly feeling quite dizzy at the baffling turn this dream had now taken.

"Yes." She leaned up and kissed his jaw. "With us. Sometimes." He blinked when he realised she was touching herself as she talked. Her gaze was fixed on him as she stroked herself lazily. "Sometimes it's just the two of you."

He swallowed. He really didn't know what to say. He was completely at a loss. If this was his dream then either he knew something of her real fantasies, or he was a very very fucked up individual. He didn't know which option was least appealing. He leaned over her, his hand joining hers. As she rubbed gently, his fingers slid inside her and she grunted.

"Really?" He said quietly into her hair.

"Oh yes." She breathed.

His pride took over then. This was his damn dream and this was his bloody woman, sort of… in the dream at least. Rick was not going to enter into it in any way, pun intended. The pace of his fingers increased. He was going to make sure no thoughts of Rick entered into her head at all.

* * *

><p><strong>LadyLecter47<strong> – hope this is enough to tide you over for now

**Dalonega Noquisi** – thanks, hope you like this too

**SaraLostInes** – I do too :D I'm at a bit of a loss actually, if I put them somewhere specific it's going to clash with the second half of the season and then I'd be stuck so random drabbles it is for now. Hope you like it


	10. Hiatus Drabble 2

A/N: Don't own (although I'd love to have my very own Norman Reedus :D) don't sue!

Lyrics are from 'Rain' by Patty Griffin

**Rain**

**Hiatus Drabble 2**

It's hard to listen to a hard, hard heart  
>Beatin' close to mine<br>Poundin' up against the stone and steel  
>Walls that I won't climb<br>Sometimes a hurt is so deep, deep, deep  
>You think that you're gonna drown<br>Sometimes all I can do is weep, weep, weep  
>With all this rain fallin' down<br>Strange, how hard it rains now  
>Rows and rows of big dark clouds<br>When I'm holding on underneath this shroud  
>Rain<br>It's hard to know when to give up the fight  
>Some things you want will just never be right<br>It's never rained like it has tonight before  
>Now, I don't wanna beg you, baby<br>For something maybe you could never give  
>I'm not lookin' for the rest of your life<br>I just want another chance to live  
>Strange, how hard it rains now<br>Rows and rows of big dark clouds  
>When I'm holdin' on underneath this shroud<br>Rain

He wondered how she could look so calm and collected after what she'd just done to him in his tent. He squirmed at the thought of it, surprised that he still had the energy even to twitch at the memory. How could a girl so relatively young, twenty-four he had to keep reminding himself, be quite so talented at such debauchery? He could still feel her mouth on him, see her big eyes peering up at him innocently as she worked, her tongue flickering like an eel at places he hadn't even known existed. It was that expression on her face, that sweet innocent look coupled with the lowered lashes and the wicked glint. It made him shudder just thinking about it.

He shifted in his chair, readjusting the bow in his lap. He swiped the sweat beading his forehead with his grimy forearm. She glanced at him over her shoulder, clearly sensing his gaze scalding into her back. She smiled. He twitched again, more forcibly this time, almost uncomfortably against the rough denim of his jeans. That goddamn mouth. When it wasn't throwing teasing insults and digs at him, smirking as if he were there purely for her amusement, it was sending him over the edge of pleasure. It curved into a smirk now, as if she could see right through his head. The plump lips still swollen and slightly reddened from what she'd been doing.

He brushed some more sweat from his cheek. It was hot out here. She turned back towards T-Dog, laughing at something he'd said. She threw back her head to laugh and he eyed her long throat hungrily. His grip tightened unbearably on his bow as he remembered exactly what had been trickling down that throat less than an hour ago, tracking a sticky trail over the contours beneath the smooth creamy flesh. He forced himself to release his grip on the bow before he broke it, flexing his aching hand.

She leant over the RV, burying her head under the hood. T-Dog leant over besides her, keeping as respectable a distance between them as he could in such close quarters. He pointed something out to her and she nodded, leaning even further over to discuss something. He couldn't tell from this distance whether she was showing T-Dog something or the other way around. You never knew with Cassidy, she was still a total enigma. Sometimes he was sure she did it on purpose, leaning over the RV in those tiny shorts. In fact, if he hadn't started to understand her a little, he would have believed the bitchy things Andrea kept saying about her. She wasn't the type though, she really wasn't the type to put on a show for him or anyone else. It wasn't that she wasn't aware of how she looked, it was just that she didn't care what any of them thought about her… at all.

He licked his dry lips. It wasn't like he'd never had a blow job before. It wasn't even technically the best one he'd ever had, it was the way she'd done it. He'd been sitting quite happily in his tent, polishing his bow and working the blood and gore from all the nooks and crannies when she'd walked straight in.

"Somethin' I can help you with, Red?"

He'd made the mistake of glancing up from his bow. He'd never seen that look in her eye before. She'd knelt down before him, sliding the bow from his slackening grip. He made some sort of noise when she unbuttoned his jeans but she ignored him, sliding her small hands inside. He barely had time to blink before she'd been there, her mouth and hands at work.

Afterwards, when he'd barely been able to assemble words in his head never mind blurt them out, she'd just smiled at him and licked her sore lips. She'd just knelt there, her cheeks flushed from the exertion and her lips glistening.

"What was that for?"

"Just testing a theory."

She'd got to her feet and headed straight for the still open tent flaps.

"Hey!" She'd paused. "That it?"

"That not enough for you, Dixon?"

He'd felt embarrassment surging over him and he'd glared at her.

"Not what I meant."

For the first time since he'd met her, she'd looked uncomfortable. It was only a fleeting instant but it had been there nonetheless.

"Hey Cassidy!"

Cassidy had given him a last long considering look and disappeared out of the tent.

He snapped back to the present when he realised she was frowning at whatever Rick was saying to her. He looked immensely disturbed by whatever he was saying. She reached out and touched his arm and Daryl felt his muscles snap taut. Cassidy went out of her way to avoid touching or being touched by anyone except Lochie. Even he didn't touch her too much in public. He felt suddenly hot and awareness of his surroundings snapped into place. With a sickening lurch he realised he was jealous. Jealous of the way she was looking at Rick, her hand still resting on his arm. After a moment they separated. Rick nodded at him on his way past and Daryl regarded him coolly.

He remained seated, watching the sudden activity as Cassidy re-emerged from her tent with her pack and her knife, clearly about to set off into the trees. Glenn joined her after a moment. His usual cheery grin eased some of the tension knotting Daryl's stomach as they made their way past him and into the woods. She paused for a moment, glancing back over her shoulder at him. He met her cool green gaze. She turned and vanished into the tree line.

* * *

><p>"Do you hear that?" Cassidy breathed, throwing out her hand to halt Glenn.<p>

"What?" He gasped, staring wide-eyed at the trees around them.

Cassidy didn't answer, instead she grabbed hold of him, threw him to the ground and rolled him into a patch of prickly bushes nearby. They waited as the walker shuffled by, moving surprisingly quickly through the debris from the trees above. Once it was gone they continued to wait, just in case.

"That might be the sexiest thing I've ever seen." Glenn muttered in a strangled whisper after a very long pause.

Cassidy glared at him. They were nose to nose under the bush, her legs pinning his arms to his sides.

"If you get a hard on, I swear to god-"

"Hey! It's a natural reaction… a hot girl throws herself at me-"

"I did not throw myself at you!" Cassidy hissed angrily, scanning through the thorny branches for signs of any more walkers.

"Oh my god!" Glenn wailed suddenly.

Cassidy glanced down suspiciously but there was nothing to see. Any excitement he'd been gleaning from the situation had apparently vanished.

"Daryl will kill me if he finds out."

She blinked at him in confusion.

"What's Daryl got to do with anything?"

"Well, you… and he… you're… well you're both… I thought… it's like… you… er… aren't you?"

"We're having sex, yes." Cassidy said brutally, quite enjoying the pink flush that spread over Glenn's neck and jaw line. "So?"

Glenn continued to sputter and trip over his tongue. In the end he resorted to glancing furiously to her bare legs on either side of him.

"What about it?" She asked, looking thoroughly amused at his discomfiture as his cheeks burned as red as a stop sign.

"This… you… me… my…" He looked very close to tears.

"You mean me being on top of you? Or you getting hard at me being on top of you?" She offered helpfully, peering at him innocently.

He looked as if he was literally choking on his tongue and his eyes bulged out of his head. She rolled her eyes and rolled off of him. Another walker was shuffling past, staggering around the clearing besides them. They held their breath but it was on the other side of the clearing, too far away to hear them but too close for them to move yet.

"You won't tell him?" Glenn whispered fiercely in her ear as they lay side by side under the bush.

Cassidy frowned; she'd already forgotten what he was talking about. Her hand was grasping her knife so tightly it hurt. She shook her head a fraction when she realised he was still concerned about Daryl. She found it intently amusing that Glenn was more worried by Daryl thinking he'd groped his girlfriend in the woods than by the walker currently inspecting the remains of a dead squirrel a few feet away.

"Tell him what?" She muttered distractedly, watching intently as the walker snatched the squirrel from the ground.

"About the… my… when I… when you… it… my…"

She glared at him.

"Why would I tell him?"

He was staring at her in wide-eyed fear and she wondered if it wasn't kinder to keep his attention on her and not alert him to the walker currently chowing down on the rancid squirrel remains.

"Glenn." She murmured, shifting a little closer to whisper in his ear. "Nothing happened between us… except me dragging you down here to save your life. There's nothing to tell Daryl about."

"I know." Glenn shifted unconsciously, bending his knees slightly. "But Daryl isn't exactly rational."

She didn't argue with him, watching the walker as it finished its meal. She knew perfectly well that if Daryl heard about Glenn's 'situation' he'd burst into a ball of fire, not because he'd be jealous or anything, they weren't in that kind of relationship, but because he was possessive. It sent a forbidden thrill through her just thinking about it. The walker finally left the clearing and she crawled out from under the bush.

"Are we nearly there?" She asked in an undertone as he joined her on his feet again.

"I think so." He scratched his head under the cap, peering into the trees thoughtfully. "We were through there I think."

She sighed.

"I can't believe you lost the supplies." She grumbled, shoving her way through the low branches.

"I didn't lose them!" Glenn protested feebly. "I fell. I know where they are I just can't reach them."

"What makes you think I can?"

He gave her a disturbingly shrewd look and she glowered at him. Apparently her sparring sessions with Lochie had firmly established how flexible she was to the others… which was how she'd ended up being roped into retrieving a missing bag full of medical supplies from a tree half dangling over a quarry.

"You guys are more trouble than Lochie… and that's saying something." She muttered.

* * *

><p>"Higher! I said higher! Left! Your other left genius! OW!"<p>

Daryl halted and glanced carefully around. No walkers. Not yet… but given the racket they were making it was only a matter of time. He'd sat impatiently waiting for her to return, trying not to think about the flutter of anxiety pulsing in his gut. Eventually he'd gone to Rick and forced him to tell him what was going on. Rick had looked at him in astonishment, then explained where they'd gone. It wasn't too far into the trees so he'd only put up a feeble amount of protesting before Daryl had stomped off anyway. He shouldered his way through the low hanging branches towards the noise. Cassidy was swinging like a monkey from a dangerously loose branch hanging over a very deep ditch.

Glenn had a long branch extended towards her and it took Daryl a startled moment to realise that he was trying to hook the bag from the branch beneath her. The way the branch she was on was situated, if she removed it by crawling towards it she'd plunge headfirst down the quarry. As far as he could tell she was trying to aim the stick so it caught on the bag without her having to go any further out.

"Gimme that." Daryl snapped, snatching the branch from a surprised Glenn and extending it back out towards her.

After a great deal of irritable shuffling and some quite painful whacks from the branch on both ends, they succeeded in hooking the bag and dragging it back onto solid ground. When Cassidy scrambled back down out of the tree she was covered in moss and dirt with lichen smushed all over her face and hands, twigs showering out of her hair and cuts all over any exposed skin. Daryl surveyed her critically although she could see that the skin around his eyes and lips had tightened where he was forcing down a smile. She grabbed the bag from the ground, dumped it into Glenn's hands and flounced off through the trees.

Daryl looked at Glenn. He was staring wide-eyed at Daryl and, unless he was very much mistaken, his skinny knees were shaking beneath his jeans. Daryl lifted an eyebrow at him questioningly and Glenn darted into the trees after Cassidy.

Daryl could hear Cassidy long before he could see the camp. She was in a towering rage and Shane and Rick were looking quite disturbed as she hissed at them like an angry cat.

"Just because I can do the splits does not make me the designated gymnast!" She snapped acidly as he approached. "I am not a performing monkey."

She turned on her heel and stalked off towards her tent. Even from this distance Daryl could see that Rick was mortified, terrified that he might have genuinely upset her. He was such a pushover when it came to his ridiculous sense of gentility and chivalry. Of course, ignoring basic common sense, he went straight after her.

Daryl pondered (Cassidy would have called it lurking) for a while. He very much wanted to stay out of her way while she was in this explosive mood, but he couldn't quite ignore the squirming in his stomach at the thought of her and Rick alone in her tent. He had no concerns that Rick might try something. He'd seen the occasional appreciative glances Rick had sent her way when he was too deep in thought to realise what he was doing, but Rick was loyal to a fault and he would never betray Lori that way. Even if Cassidy was right and she did deserve it somewhat. He didn't even think Cassidy would try anything with Rick… yet his insides were writhing as if he'd swallowed a nest of live snakes for lunch.

He scrubbed his hands back through his hair irritably, slapping his pockets for his cigarettes moodily. When he couldn't find them he strode over to her tent to demand some from her. Lochie was sprawled on the grass a few feet away from the open flaps, fiddling with something small and finicky. She lifted her eyebrows as he stumped past but didn't comment. He paused outside the tent entrance, peeking into the dim interior.

Rick was saying something in a low apologetic voice to Cassidy's slightly hunched back as she tended to the scratches up and down her bare arms. When she didn't reply, Rick placed a tentative hand on her shoulder and Daryl froze. Cassidy did not like to be touched. He realised he was holding his breath and his heart was thumping painfully as he waited for her reaction. After an endless moment of waiting, Cassidy slid out from under Rick's hand.

"The next time you put your hands on me, Sheriff, you better be prepared for what comes next."

There was something in her tone that made it impossible to distinguish whether she was flirting or threatening. Daryl felt heat flood his loins and he was quite sure that he was scowling.

* * *

><p><strong>LadyLecter47<strong> – My holidays were pretty good thanks, hope yours were too! I've been watching the first season and the first half of season two to tide me over. Hope you like it

**SaraLostInes** – lol thanks that was what I was going for.

**Dalonega Noquisi** – I know I'm unimpressed, all my shows are on hiatus grrrr.


	11. Hiatus Drabble 3

A/N: Don't own (although I'd love to have my very own Norman Reedus :D) don't sue!

Lyrics are from 'Rain' by Patty Griffin

**Rain**

**Hiatus Drabble 3**

It's hard to listen to a hard, hard heart  
>Beatin' close to mine<br>Poundin' up against the stone and steel  
>Walls that I won't climb<br>Sometimes a hurt is so deep, deep, deep  
>You think that you're gonna drown<br>Sometimes all I can do is weep, weep, weep  
>With all this rain fallin' down<br>Strange, how hard it rains now  
>Rows and rows of big dark clouds<br>When I'm holding on underneath this shroud  
>Rain<br>It's hard to know when to give up the fight  
>Some things you want will just never be right<br>It's never rained like it has tonight before  
>Now, I don't wanna beg you, baby<br>For something maybe you could never give  
>I'm not lookin' for the rest of your life<br>I just want another chance to live  
>Strange, how hard it rains now<br>Rows and rows of big dark clouds  
>When I'm holdin' on underneath this shroud<br>Rain

"What are you sulking about?" Lochie chirped happily, snatching the unlit cigarette dangling from his lips and shoving it into her mouth. "You've been stomping around like a bear with a sore head all day."

He snarled at her and made to snatch the cigarette back. She dodged daintily out of the way, pulling herself up onto one of the car bonnets.

"You don't even smoke you annoying little-"

"I'm thinking of taking it up." Lochie cut across him cheerfully, readjusting the cigarette and striking a pose. "To add a little mystique to my character."

He muttered something under his breath but he was too irritable to start an argument with her. Besides, he'd probably lose anyway.

"She didn't screw him."

He goggled at her. She was sitting innocently, swinging her legs and eying him in amusement.

"She totally could have done. If she'd really tried, he wouldn't have stood a chance." Lochie slanted her gaze at him from under her lashes. "She's not like that… except for you. You wheedled your way in somehow." She sighed. "It's all part of her defences."

"What would you know about it?" Daryl snapped.

"She told me." Lochie replied calmly, not in the least fazed by the black expression on his face. "She also told me about you storming off like a big baby. A big jealous baby. A big jealous baby who doesn't like to share his things. In fact a big jealous baby-"

"I get the point."

Lochie slid down from the car. She barely came up to his chest. She slotted the cigarette back between his lips and patted his cheek with a little more force than was necessary.

"So get over yourself then." She smiled sweetly. "She doesn't like mind games. She won't play them and she won't put up with people who play them. Either you're together or you're just in it for the boning. Go and sit down, take out your microscope and examine those wriggly burning things that are making you so miserable. They're feelings. Big baby." She muttered under her breath as she sashayed away, grumbling at having to spell things out for idiotic people.

* * *

><p>It was the sound that startled him out of his brooding. The sharp crunch. So familiar and yet so foreign in this new world. She was sitting on the back of his truck, peering intently across the fields and there it was in her hand. An apple. Its crisp green skin reflecting the hazy sunlight as she rolled it over in her hands.<p>

"Where'd you get that, Red?" He called out as he approached her.

"Lochie swiped them. I didn't ask where from."

She held it out to him. The crisp green skin was beaded with juice and he licked his lips. She shook it a little. He grabbed her hand in his, holding it steady while he bit into it. The skin broke beneath his teeth and juice dribbled down his chin. He grunted. The fresh taste sliding down his throat. It made a hell of a change from roasted squirrel. She tugged her hand back a little. He kept hold of it as she took another bite. She licked her fingers, sucking the juice from them lightly. This time after he'd taken a bite, he ran his tongue along a trail of juice down over her wrist and her grip on the apple tightened. He moved closer to her, placing himself right against the trunk of the truck between her sprawled knees. She took the last bite of the apple and he held their twined hands holding the core out of the way, pressing his lips against her chin. He licked the juices there, moving his lips down her throat as she swallowed. Her lips were sticky and moist when he kissed her, apple-sweetened tongues duelling lazily spreading juice and saliva everywhere.

"You ate my apple." She said reprovingly when he finally drew back. "Got over it then?"

He frowned at her. This was not a conversation he wanted to have, especially not when she looked so thoroughly desirable with her cheeks all pink, her eyes sparkling and sticky apple juices smeared all over her chin and mouth.

"Whatever bug crawled up your ass." She clarified, turning away from him and lobbing the apple core into the darkness of the trees.

Before he could reply Rick rounded the corner and hailed them. He looked very worried. Daryl hesitated, he'd been mulling everything over, making it a lot more complicated than it actually needed to be and he had the feeling that he'd be able to get over whatever it was niggling at him if he just threw her into the back of his truck to see how far down that trickle of apple juice had actually travelled… but Rick did look so very worried. He mumbled something under his breath irritably and strode over towards him.

She was sprawled rather indelicately in the bed of his truck, her long slender legs hooked over the side of the truck and her feet twitching every now and then, her toes curling in as a breeze tickled them. Her head lay besides his thigh as he polished his bow, his elbow shading her eyes from the sun. It was a disturbingly domestic scene and he felt a relaxed and satisfied warmth spreading under his navel. Rick had been worrying over nothing for a change and when he'd returned to his truck he'd found her lying in the sun with her nose in a book. Rather than drag her out of there, or start a verbal sparring match or any of the other things they usually did, he'd retrieved his bow and hauled himself up besides her.

He squinted down at her.

"Good book?"

She lifted her eyebrows in amusement at the question, stretching one cramped leg out and pressing her warm foot against the cool glass of the back window.

"Not bad. Read it before."

Her silky hair was dangling over the edge of the truck, ruffling in the breeze. He peered down at her. She was holding the book in the air with one hand as she read, casting a shadow over her collarbone. She reached up the spare hand resting on her belly and turned the page idly, running her finger the length of the page first.

"Why you re-readin' it then?"

He felt her shoulder move against his thigh as she shrugged.

"Hardly a huge range of reading material available nowadays is there? Besides… I read it in the original French last time."

He glanced at her. When she said things like that he was reminded of how little he actually knew about her. Her lashes were shading her cheekbones as she read, her cool green eyes fixed intently on the little black characters. She'd pulled her lower lip between her teeth and was worrying it slightly as she read. He examined his bow critically. It gleamed back at him. With a sigh he placed it carefully behind him on the bed of the truck near her knee, leaning back on the heels of his hands and peering around the camp. Everyone was occupied. He'd be out there too if they hadn't ganged up on him and prevented him from going while he was still injured.

He felt her little hand stroking the inside of his bare arm where it leaned besides her. She ran her fingertips over the inside of his elbow and upper arm as she read. If he forced his brain to forget he could almost imagine they were back in the past when things made even less sense, pretend he was just killing time on a lazy Sunday afternoon and she was just a girl. He glanced at her again. Her brow was wrinkled and she was frowning at whatever she was reading, her hand tightened slightly on his arm and her eyes darted rapidly to take in the words faster. No. She could never be just a girl. He still didn't know that much about her but he was pretty sure she'd never been 'just' anything.

Slightly disturbed at how comfortable he was getting around her, he brushed his free hand over her cheek and lips suddenly, spreading oil in a black smear all over her. She didn't react for a moment, then her green eyes lifted. She had that unfathomable smirk on her face, the one seemingly reserved just for him.

"I shall get you for that." She said calmly, a sweet lilt of menace in her voice that sent a sharp shock of desire shooting through his groin.

"I'm quakin' in my boots, girly."

She lowered her eyes back to the page without replying, although that little smile was still there. He kept quiet. He wasn't used to this. When he sat in silence with the others it was tense silence, they were afraid of saying the wrong thing to him but the quiet between them was always relaxed and comfortable with nothing but the usual frisson of sexual tension. Whenever he got blustery and his testosterone took over, she just gave him that look until he felt like squirming guiltily. Which only made him act even more peevish and pig-headed.

"You should rest."

He blinked down at her. She wasn't even looking at him, she was focused entirely on her book but her hand had drifted to his arm again.

"I know you didn't sleep last night."

He stared at her suspiciously. How could she know he hadn't slept? She read his unasked question in the silence between them.

"You clump around in your boots." She said idly.

He grunted. Unable to sleep he'd taken to patrolling their little camp, occasionally crossing over to her tent and taking a circuit around it. The routine pacing had helped him relax and keeping watch had made him feel as if he was doing something when he couldn't go looking for Sophia. He realised that she was right, he was restless because he was tired. He lay back. The metal of the truck was warm from the sun beneath him. Her leg was stretched out above him as she cooled her feet on the window, the slim suntanned limb dangling tantalizingly over him. He propped both arms behind his head and stared at the sky beyond her calf. The hand that had been caressing his arm moved to his stomach now besides her. Her fingers wriggled into the gap between his buttons and under his shirt, tracing over the fine bronze hairs there and tickling his belly button and the taut muscles of his stomach. He fell asleep almost immediately.

* * *

><p><strong>SaraLostInes<strong> – no one could fail to be interested in Rick but this is still a total DarylOC fic if that helps :D Truthfully I've been watching re-runs of "Teachers" which was what the actor who plays Rick was in years ago and his character was my first crush so I've been a bit overtaken by nostalgia lol

**B. Longbottom** – thanks a lot :) he's a difficult character to pin down but I'm trying my best lol

**Alina Maxwell** – thank you very much here you go

**VileMalapert** – thanks here's an update for you

**undeadangel** – thanks I'm glad you like it


	12. Hiatus Drabble 4

A/N: Don't own (although I'd love to have my very own Norman Reedus :D) don't sue!

Lyrics are from 'Rain' by Patty Griffin

**Rain**

**Hiatus Drabble 4**

It's hard to listen to a hard, hard heart  
>Beatin' close to mine<br>Poundin' up against the stone and steel  
>Walls that I won't climb<br>Sometimes a hurt is so deep, deep, deep  
>You think that you're gonna drown<br>Sometimes all I can do is weep, weep, weep  
>With all this rain fallin' down<br>Strange, how hard it rains now  
>Rows and rows of big dark clouds<br>When I'm holding on underneath this shroud  
>Rain<br>It's hard to know when to give up the fight  
>Some things you want will just never be right<br>It's never rained like it has tonight before  
>Now, I don't wanna beg you, baby<br>For something maybe you could never give  
>I'm not lookin' for the rest of your life<br>I just want another chance to live  
>Strange, how hard it rains now<br>Rows and rows of big dark clouds  
>When I'm holdin' on underneath this shroud<br>Rain

Daryl and Rick were arguing again. Cassidy, sitting in the grass outside their tent rubbing lotion into Lochie's twisted angle, eyed them in amusement. Well they weren't really arguing, not in the explosive way Cassidy and Lochie argued; screaming and swearing and occasionally throwing things if they were at hand. Daryl was gesturing angrily and Rick was murmuring in that calming tone of his. She watched them out of the corner of her eye. She wondered what would happen if they ever used all that built up tension for something more interesting.

As if they'd heard her thoughts, Rick suddenly put one hand on the back of Daryl's head and yanked him forwards. Daryl was so stunned he didn't even react. He didn't even seem to realise that Rick had crushed his lips beneath his. The Sheriff's broad hands slid into Daryl's sweat-streaked hair, tangling in the fine strands and tugging him closer. Daryl's dirty hands caressed the stubble at Rick's jawline and throat, squeezing gently until Rick murmured something against his lips. When they drew apart there was a moment of hesitation as if Rick was worried Daryl might punch him, then he realised that Daryl had drawn back just far enough to get at the buttons on his shirt.

They were locked together again almost immediately, Daryl's nimble hands working at the shirt until he managed to push it off Rick's shoulders. His fingers dug into the sunburnt flesh where Rick's throat flowed into his broad shoulders. Rick had initiated this yet now he seemed to have lost complete control of the situation. His hands, however, had a mind of their own and they caressed Daryl's chest through his sleeveless shirt. Daryl kneaded and rubbed Rick's bare shoulders, moving down to his back and abdomen.

Rick unbuttoned Daryl's shirt surprisingly quickly, almost tearing it off his back in his hurry. Daryl's hands were tugging at Rick's belt-

"Hey! OW!"

Cassidy blinked when a sharp pain shot up her arm. She looked down at Lochie who was glaring at her.

"Are you even on this planet?" Lochie snapped, pointing at her ankle where Cassidy's fingers were digging in so hard they'd turned white.

"What?" Cassidy whipped her head back up but Daryl and Rick were standing there, fully dressed, staring at the two of them as if they've sprouted an extra head apiece.

"You totally spaced out, you stupid bint." Lochie giggled, apparently willing to forgive her now that she'd removed her grip. "You were just sitting there staring at them with your mouth open."

Cassidy flushed hotly and busied herself with Lochie's ankle. It wasn't sprained, she'd just yanked it in a tangle of roots. Her imagination had clearly gotten away with her. It must be the heat. It was very hot.

"What were you thinking about?" Lochie whispered. "You were staring at them for ages, your cheeks went all red and you kept licking your lips."

"Nothing. Just daydreaming."

Lochie gave her a sly grin. Whatever they'd been discussing seemed to have been resolved because Rick ran a hand through his hair and wandered off.

"I'll be fine."

Cassidy was still deeply immersed in her strange daydream, images of what it could have continued onto filling her head.

"Hmmm?"

She finally forced herself to look at Lochie who was sitting there grinning at her.

"Since you clearly want to go screw his brains out." Cassidy shoved Lochie's leg from her lap with slightly more force than was necessary but she took it in good grace. "And later I want to know what you were thinking about!" She called after her as Cassidy stalked across the camp towards Daryl.

She grabbed hold of the back of Daryl's shirt and yanked him straight into the trees. His startled cry was cut off abruptly as she clapped her hand over his mouth. Her eyes were flashing and her cheeks were burning, two bright spots of colour on her cheekbones. She planted herself against a wide tree out of sight of the camp and pulled him tightly against her. He submitted quite willingly when she kissed him. He'd been harsher with Rick than the Sheriff really deserved because he'd been distracted by the sight of her sprawled on the grass in miniscule dungarees and a bikini top in the suffocating heat, one of Lochie's long slim legs thrown over hers as she massaged her ankle…

She only broke the kiss when she realised she needed oxygen and her hands went immediately to his jeans. He was slightly surprised at the feverish hunger in her eyes. The brief thought that rubbing Lochie's ankle had done this to her flashed through his mind but then he remembered what Lochie had called after her. What on earth had she been thinking? He growled as she released him, his hands fumbling with the strange metal locks that held up her dungarees.

"I want you now." She gasped breathlessly in his ear, stroking him gently but insistently until it was all he could do to concentrate on what he was doing.

Her hands stroked faster and he gave up on the straps, cursing himself when he realised that it was a skirt. He pushed it up around her waist, none-too-gently, his fingers rubbing against her through the thin cotton panties. She was thoroughly wet and he hurriedly pushed the material aside. Her nails dug painfully into his shoulders as he lifted her up, planting her firmly against the tree. Both of his hands were clamped tightly on her buttocks and she felt the tree scraping painfully against her back as he adjusted her to the right height. She thought she might actually die if he wasn't inside her soon, she'd never been this aroused in her whole life. Well maybe die was an exaggeration, but she'd certainly implode.

* * *

><p>"I think I busted my stitches."<p>

Cassidy hooked one finger under his shirt and lifted it, peering at his wound. There was no blood on the bandages.

"Nope. Probably just yanked them around."

She dug a scavenged pack of cigarettes out of her pocket. They were ridiculously squashed but some were salvageable. She lit one and took a long drag. She really hadn't been a smoker before all this, the odd one after sex or a particularly difficult job. She blew a plume of smoke out and handed it to him. His fingers slid the length of hers briefly as he retrieved it. Something snapped behind them and she froze. After an interminably long pause the trees were still again and she relaxed a fraction.

"I've never done that before." She said thoughtfully as he handed her back the cigarette. "Did a number on my back." She shifted, her back sore and throbbing

"You're sayin' that a lot lately." He muttered, scratching one stubbled cheek absently.

"Must be corrupting me." She said in amusement, handing him back the cigarette.

He gave her a very long, surprisingly shrewd look and she frowned at him.

"What?"

For the first time since she'd met him he looked distinctly uncomfortable and she was sure that a flush was flaring beneath the sweat and grime staining his cheeks.

"You're not… well, you weren't…" He took a deep breath until his cheeks puffed out and then let it out in a long whistling breath. "You ain't a—a—"

He seemed to be casting around for any word except the one echoing in his head and she laughed.

"A virgin? Well if I was, I'm certainly not one anymore." She pointed out, brushing her dirty fingertips over the faint bruises already blossoming on her bronze thighs where he'd held her up. "No. I wasn't a virgin. You did not deflower me, Dixon." If it was possible, he turned even pinker. "Why would you think that?"

He shrugged, clearly embarrassed at the whole situation. Usually she revelled in discomfiting him but now she felt a flicker of unease burning at the base of her spine.

"No reason."

Feeling suddenly self-conscious and awkward, she scrambled to her feet. Seeing her less-than-graceful ascent, unusual in itself as nearly everything she did was tinged with the fluid grace of a dancer, he frowned up at her. He'd done something wrong, said something that had offended her. He tried to catch her hand as she moved past him but she slipped out of his grasp and vanished.

* * *

><p>She'd been avoiding him. At first he hadn't been entirely sure, after all most of the camp avoided him, but that was the second time since yesterday she'd disappeared the instant he'd spotted her. He didn't know what he'd done, but he was surprised at the ache her coolness created. It was like having another wound, throbbing if he made a sudden unexpected movement. He tossed aside the map he'd been studying and marched across the campsite towards her tent.<p>

She was laughing with Carl when he reached it and his stomach contorted with jealousy. She was standing there giggling with that kid and she wouldn't even look at him!

"Beat it, kid." He snapped.

The two of them stared at him in amazement, then Carl hurried away back the way Daryl had come. Cassidy folded her arms and glared at him.

"That was fucking rude." She snapped coolly.

"Rude? Wanna explain why you won't look me in the eye anymore, Red?"

She looked up at him defiantly, her green eyes blazing.

"I'm looking you in the eye. We're eyeball to eyeball right now."

He was dumbfounded. Women had never been his strong point, as far as he were concerned the whole gender were freaking insane but he'd been starting to think that maybe the two of them were on the same level.

"If I'm not a good enough lay for you, you could have just told me. I'm a big girl, I can handle it." She said suddenly, tilting her chin defiantly.

He had the feeling that most other men she'd turned those flashing emerald beacons on had cowered right before her eyes. He was completely at a loss. Where the hell had she got that from? His silence only seemed to prove whatever she'd been thinking because she gave him a last withering look and made to turn away from him. He lashed out instinctually, grabbing her by the arms and holding her firmly in place.

"What the hell are you talking about, lady?"

She'd tensed so tightly under his hands, her entire body completely rigid, that he was slightly concerned her muscles might snap.

"What you said." She said slowly and calmly. "I'm not putting myself out there just to be used and not even appreciated for it."

He goggled at her. He could see her pulse racing out of control in her throat, her cheeks were deathly white and her jaw was jutting stubbornly. He realised with a jolt that whatever she'd thought he meant had hurt her. He forced his brain back, searching through what he'd said.

"I asked if you were a virgin." He blurted and her lips tightened. "That what this is about?"

He felt the wild urge to laugh but some instinct made him realise that would not be a good idea. Besides, he was ninety per cent sure she could kill him with her bare hands if she put her mind to it.

"I've been insulted before but I've never had complaints in that department."

She'd tossed the comment out casually but he could sense the underlying tension, pulled as taught as a wire and ready to snap. Ignoring the flush of hot searing jealousy at the thought of her with other men, he wasn't quite prepared to delve that deep into his emotions yet, he shook his head.

"Not what I meant." He grunted roughly. "You come out with things like 'I've never done that before' and-"

"I'm twenty four! Before this shit happened I had a career. A dangerous career. I didn't exactly have time to go screwing in the fields!" She snapped but he felt some of the tension leaving her.

He decided to gamble and he drew her closer towards him. She resisted slightly but eventually moved forwards a few steps.

"I ain't got no complaints." He breathed. "Not a one."

She continued to glare at him but the coldness had gone from her eyes.

"Good." She finally said. "Because I haven't shown you half of what I can do yet."

He grinned but she slipped out from his grasp and stepped back. He wasn't surprised. There would be no passionate romantic make-up between them. She wasn't like that. She would retreat and mull things over by herself for a while. Maybe he was starting to figure her out after all. He was about to return to his own tent when her head emerged between the green flaps.

"Well, are you going to stand there all day?" Her mouth hitched into a grin that was starting to become familiar. Deliciously so. "Come on, redneck."

He shook his head, moving towards the tent. Nope. He still had absolutely no clue.

* * *

><p><strong>Dalonega Noquisi<strong> – that's about as close to mushy as I get lol I'm really not a romantic person at all

**VileMalapert** – thanks very much :) here's more for you

**LadyLecter47** – I know, I couldn't cope without something until the show starts again

**gurl3677** – absolutely, and the rest of him too :D


	13. Hiatus Drabble 5

A/N: Don't own (although I'd love to have my very own Norman Reedus :D) don't sue!

Lyrics are from 'Rain' by Patty Griffin

**Rain**

**Hiatus Drabble 5**

It's hard to listen to a hard, hard heart  
>Beatin' close to mine<br>Poundin' up against the stone and steel  
>Walls that I won't climb<br>Sometimes a hurt is so deep, deep, deep  
>You think that you're gonna drown<br>Sometimes all I can do is weep, weep, weep  
>With all this rain fallin' down<br>Strange, how hard it rains now  
>Rows and rows of big dark clouds<br>When I'm holding on underneath this shroud  
>Rain<br>It's hard to know when to give up the fight  
>Some things you want will just never be right<br>It's never rained like it has tonight before  
>Now, I don't wanna beg you, baby<br>For something maybe you could never give  
>I'm not lookin' for the rest of your life<br>I just want another chance to live  
>Strange, how hard it rains now<br>Rows and rows of big dark clouds  
>When I'm holdin' on underneath this shroud<br>Rain

Daryl blinked and squinted at the light suddenly piercing his closed lids. He swung up an arm to shade them, frowning at his disorientation. It took him a moment to realise that he was in Cassidy's tent. They must have fallen asleep, the sun was going down. She was lying besides him, more deeply asleep than he'd ever seen her. She looked strange against the ugly orange sleeping bag, her porcelain skin standing out against the dark green of the tent wall behind her. She was in her favourite position, curled on one side with one leg pulled over the other. Her hair was streaming over the pillow, exposing the delicate shell of her ear. One hand lay under her cheek, shielding her naked chest from his view.

Her tattoo was dark against her pale skin. Her legs, arms and chest were bronzed from the sun but her ribs were still slightly pale. It was quite small, barely five inches tucked under her arm, flaring wide at the top of her ribs and narrowing into the elaborate zip halfway down her ribs. They'd talked about her tattoos once. They'd been lying head to toe in the stifling heat of the tent after they'd finished, the muggy atmosphere heavy with sweat and sex. He'd brushed his fingertips over the black markings.

"_It was a present to myself for my eighteenth birthday." She'd murmured, her eyes still closed. "My friend designed it."_

_He'd let the flat of his palm drift up to lie flat on her ribs, his big palm and long fingers splaying across her bare skin. His thumb caressed the underside of her breast. _

"_Hurt like a bitch."_

_He'd grinned. _

"_It's my friend's interpretation of me, apparently." She'd said lazily, stretching like a cat under his hand and stroking fingers. "I have no idea what he was getting at."_

_Daryl ran his thumb over a miniature depiction of a sword twined with unbelievably tiny roses nestled between two ribs. She'd shivered slightly. _

"_I am an enigma." She'd announced haughtily in a dozy sort of way. "Far too complex for a mere man to understand."_

"_You don't think I understand you?"_

_She had opened her eyes then, staring at him in surprise. He'd broken out into a grin, his probing fingers running teasing circles around her nipple. _

"_I think you understand as far as you need to."_

_He'd replaced his fingers with his mouth and there'd been no more discussion._

She shifted in her sleep, a crease appearing between her brows and her lips curving slightly. He realised that his wandering mind had caused quite a reaction, the result of which was now digging into her thigh. She sighed, shifting her head on the cushion. He couldn't believe he was actually lying here watching her sleep. He was actually losing it. Must be.

"Stop brooding." She murmured without opening her eyes. "What's your problem this time, Mary?"

"Just wonderin' how my balls managed to shrivel up without me noticing."

"Certainly don't look it from here."

"I meant metaphorically." He said with some dignity, rolling onto his front.

"Big words, redneck." She was definitely grinning now. "You know what they do to me."

She leaned over him, her heavy hair brushing against his cheek as she pressed her lips against his bare shoulder.

"Let me guess, you're worrying about losing your sense of masculinity or some other such nonsense." Her words whispered over his naked flesh, not easing the tension in his groin in the slightest. "I would have thought that getting laid would make you feel more manly… of course you're far too complex an individual for me to try and comprehend."

"Are you taking the piss?" He murmured into the depths of his folded arms under his head.

"You might seem simple." Cassidy said, propping her chin up on his shoulder and looking at him as he surveyed her over his shoulder. "But I wouldn't know where to begin. You might think I'm complicated but I am nothing compared to you, Daryl Dixon."

She reached down, wrapping her warm fingers around his erection and squeezing gently.

"Don't worry about it, it doesn't seem to have gone anywhere." She giggled into his ear. "I don't know what's going on in that brain of yours and I don't really care to know, just stop worrying." She slid back down onto her back and peered up at him. "Of course, if you want to prove your virility…"

She wriggled her eyebrows at him, arching her back quite provocatively until he rolled over onto her with a growl of challenge.

* * *

><p>Daryl yawned and stretched lazily, scratching his chest where a bead of sweat had tickled him. The light outside had the distinct grey hue of very early morning. He leaned over and unzipped the flaps, letting the still cool early morning air waft over them. Cassidy was sleeping again. For someone who usually only caught a couple of hours of sleep, he'd worn her out so much she'd slept through the entire night he mused smugly. Her breathing hitched a little strangely and he frowned. She was very flushed. It wasn't that hot in here, not this early. He touched the back of his hand to her forehead. It was burning hot. The smooth skin puckered and she made an irritable sound.<p>

After a moment she stirred, levering herself up onto one elbow. Her frown deepened and she fell back against the raggedy cushion.

"Whoa!" She put her hand to her head. "Head rush."

Daryl sat up, oblivious of his nakedness, and pushed her back down when she tried to sit up. She glared at him.

"Ya ill." He announced gruffly.

She peered at him in amazement.

"Lie back down."

She contemplated arguing but she really did feel very weak.

"What the hell did you do to me, redneck?" She muttered half-heartedly as she worked her way stubbornly into a sitting position.

He scowled at her but she ignored him, sitting up had made nausea surge in her stomach and she was concentrating on not throwing up. It was a losing battle and she hurriedly scrambled for the tent flaps. When she was done she rubbed her bare hands on the dewy grass and massaged the dampness into her cheeks and temples. She rinsed her mouth out with a half full bottle of tepid water amongst her discarded clothes. Realising she was naked, and Hershel's people stirred early, she withdrew back into the tent.

"Lie back down, Red." Daryl ordered again, putting one big hand on her bare shoulder and gently pushing.

"I'm fine." She argued stubbornly, although she did have to admit that he was wavering slightly in front of her.

He muttered something under his breath, turning away from her and rifling through a pack in the corner of the tent. It was a small tent and even in her slightly woozy condition, Cassidy managed to admire the sleek bare back rippling with muscles and the tight smooth buttocks marked only by a scratch or two she'd made with her fingernails along the way. The thought made her giggle and she reached over. He felt her pinch and he glowered at her over his shoulder. He turned around with a relatively clean t-shirt. One of the ones Lori and Carol had washed yesterday.

She took it from him and slipped it on. It had been nestled right against the wall of the tent so it was slightly cool from the dewy grass outside.

"You're adorable." She grinned as she settled back down into the sleeping bag they'd been using.

"Ya sick." He repeated, almost awkwardly. "Don't gotta make it worse lyin' around naked."

"I'm not sick." She sighed, cushioning her head on her arm so she could see him properly. "Just a woman thing."

The silence became so heavy that she cracked open her eyes again. He was gaping at her, all the colour had drained from his face and his eyes were so big she was slightly concerned they might pop out. He was staring at her as if she'd grown another head. It took her a moment but she finally figured out what he was thinking. She felt a flare of genuine curiosity and a little malicious flicker of glee. She rubbed her belly and his eyes darted immediately to her hand, fixing on it as if it was some sort of poisonous reptile. She could see the cogs turning in his head, racing back over all their encounters. She wondered if it was cruel to make him believe it, but a rather huge part of her was burning up with curiosity at what he'd do about it.

"I am feeling delicate." She said thoughtfully.

He flinched. After an interminably long moment, he reached out a none-too-steady hand and smoothed his hand awkwardly over her tangled hair, brushing it back behind her ear and over her shoulder. Slightly afraid that she may have scared him into revealing something she wasn't ready to know about, she forced herself to laugh. He looked as if she'd slapped him and he hurriedly withdrew his hand. She caught it and held it in hers.

"I'm not pregnant."

"But we never… I never… we didn't use…"

He seemed completely baffled, caught somewhere between relief and confusion. She took his fingers and brushed them against a spot on the inside of her upper arm.

"Feel that bump? That's a contraceptive implant." He prodded the slightly raised skin experimentally. "They last for three years. This one is hardly a year old. I don't need condoms to stop you knocking me up."

He let his hand drop from her arm although his eyes were still fixed firmly on the little patch of flesh.

"So you're not-"

"I'm hardly that stupid." She snorted. "Like I want to be lugging around a bowling ball of dead weight for nine months when I'm trying to survive. I don't think even I could manage to keep my mouth shut during labour and screaming the house down and attracting a bunch of those fuckers isn't exactly intelligent." She felt queasy again and she snuggled back into the sleeping bag.

"But you're still ill." He said, looking grateful for the change of topic.

"Just dehydrated, Florence Nightingale." She gestured vaguely with one hand. "I just need some fluids and I'll be good to go."

Before Daryl could answer Rick's soft southern twang echoed outside the tent calling his name. Cassidy gestured that he could leave when he continued to squint at her thoughtfully. Eventually he pulled on his jeans and ducked out of the tent.

* * *

><p>She couldn't breathe. Couldn't see. She touched her face with shaking hands. Her eyes were wide open but she couldn't see. Fear gripped her chest and paralysed her lungs, squeezing an iron band around the little sacs of muscle that kept her alive. She waved her hands frantically before her eyes, opening her lids as wide as she possibly could to catch any stray shafts of light. Nothing. She could feel the breeze her flapping palms were creating but she could see nothing but inky blackness.<p>

She closed her eyes tightly. Counting to three then opening them again. Still nothing. Her heart was hammering too fast, her lungs weren't taking enough air in to cope… she was having a panic attack. She'd learnt to control her fear, to take and lock it away in a secluded part of her mind to be examined later. She had learnt dozens of little tricks to ease her fears and allow her to concentrate on what needed to be done, but she could not think of a single one while she was being confronted with her worst fear.

When she was seven she'd accidentally sprayed herself in the eyes with perfume and they had been bandaged for days. Unable to see she had learned to rely on her other senses but she had never forgotten that overwhelming sense of helplessness, the unutterable fear of being so vulnerable and isolated. Of all the fears she had learnt to overcome, she had never fully got past the dread of finding herself suddenly blind again. Panic overrode her usual composure and she flailed her arms desperately, searching for the sides of the tent but there was nothing. Air all around her. She drew a deep breath, expanding her lungs so far it hurt, and screamed.

"Cassidy! Cassidy! What's wrong? You're dreaming."

Carl could hardly keep hold of her she was twisting and writhing so desperately. Her mouth was open but no sound was coming out. She'd tangled herself up unmercifully in the sleeping bag and blankets. Eventually, afraid she'd hurt herself, he grabbed a discarded half full bottle of water and emptied it over her head. Her wild jerking stopped and her eyes snapped open. She was drenched in sweat, the t-shirt sticking to her and strands of her hair clinging to her face and throat.

"My eyes…" She managed to stammer.

She lifted shaking hands to her face, blinking rapidly and examining her long fingers as if she'd never seen them before.

"You were dreaming." Carl said again, uncertain over what to do now. "I was walking past, you were rolling around-"

Cassidy was trembling all over as if she were freezing. Her face was stony and Carl figured it was time to leave. Cassidy didn't like people to see her vulnerable, Lochie had told him so. He looked at her. She looked at him. Carl had never been more surprised than when she suddenly burst into tears. Not the noisy tears children cried, but deep wracking breathless sobs that sounded as if they physically hurt. Carl did not understand grown ups, or girls for that matter, but he had had more than his fair share of nightmares. He reached out with the simple innocence of a boy not yet confused by girls and everything related to them, and took her into his arms. If she was surprised she didn't show it, or maybe she was just beyond that point, because she let him put his small arms around her. He murmured the soft things his mother told him after a nightmare and petted her damp hair soothingly.

Eventually her trembling eased and the panting gasps she'd been uttering ceased. She slipped out of Carl's embrace and brushed the backs of her hands over her wet cheeks.

"Well this is embarrassing." She grumbled, swiping her hair back from her damp face and neck. "What's it going to cost me to keep this from getting out?"

He frowned at her, his clear pure blue eyes peering innocently across at her.

"I won't tell." He said earnestly, looking almost insulted.

Her face split into a smile and she ruffled his hair.

"I know you won't, kid."

She looked at him thoughtfully, then leaned over and pressed her lips lightly against the freckled plane of his cheek. The pale skin flushed almost immediately and he dropped his gaze shyly.

"You're going to be one hell of a good guy there, Carl." She winked at him and the colour built in his cheeks. "Going to have the ladies lining up."

"If we're not the only ones left by then." He muttered, turning shyly away from her and peering out through the open tent flaps.

"No way." Cassidy protested. "There's bound to be some politicians who made it. Cockroaches can survive a nuclear war, you know."

He giggled but he clearly didn't know what she meant, he was just glad to hear the teasing note was back in her voice.

"Listen to me, kid." She settled down cross-legged, tucking the sleeping bag around her waist. "I'm not gonna lie. The world is fucked. It's not pretty and it's not going to get any better any time soon." She reached out and flicked a stray lock of dark hair off his forehead with one long finger. "But there are people out there. Admittedly a lot of them aren't very nice."

She frowned thoughtfully and he saw the crease form between her eyebrows.

"People like you and your dad and Lochie, good people like you… need people like us." She didn't mention him but he knew she meant Daryl too, she got a strange glint in her eye whenever she thought about Daryl. "Because we're the kind of bastards who can make the decisions good people shouldn't have to make." She reached across and took his hand in hers. "You're strong, Carl… and you're going to be just as strong and as sensible as your dad one day. You're going to have to make hard choices. And I think you'll make the right ones."

He held his breath. Cassidy was always light-hearted with him, teasing and laughing. She had never treated him like a child like the others did. His childish crush on her had only gotten stronger while she'd looked after him. Being exceptionally good at reading people for his age, he knew that only he, Lochie and Daryl were party to the pockets of intimacy she exposed. He had never seen her so serious.

"Of course when it comes to women, the good guys usually have crappy taste."

Carl blushed darker than ever.

"You like good guys." He told the floor of the tent, his cheeks burning brighter than a stop sign. "You like Daryl."

"You think Daryl is a good guy?" She asked thoughtfully, her eyes straying down to the t-shirt she was wearing.

"Don't you?"

She grinned then, flipping a long lock of hair over her shoulder.

"He's too grumpy to be a good guy." She laughed. "Can I tell you a secret?"

Carl nodded eagerly. She leaned in towards him, cupping her hand around her mouth.

"He's a big softie really. All gooey inside." She murmured into his ear. "A total pussy when he's not kicking walkers back where they came from."

Carl giggled so hard he had to clap a hand to his mouth when a shadow loomed suddenly over them. He tensed immediately, swallowing his laughter, but Cassidy didn't move a muscle. After a moment Daryl ducked down and glared at them through the open tent flap. She'd clearly heard him coming because she didn't seem the least bit phased by his sudden appearance.

"Ya mom's looking for you." Daryl squinted down at Carl. "What're you doin'?"

"Talking." Carl said blandly, meeting Daryl's glare with innocent blue eyes just a shade brighter than his.

Cassidy smothered a grin. Knowing Rick, she figured Carl had been brought up not to lie… and he wasn't. There was nobody quite like a kid for evading a flat out lie with sweet innocent guile.

"Scram."

Carl didn't need to be told twice, he hopped to his feet and dashed off with only one glance over his shoulder at Cassidy. She winked.

"You spend a lot of time with that kid." Daryl muttered, scrubbing a hand over his face and dropping down and spreading out on the sleeping bag.

"Aw don't be jealous, Dixon." She purred, stretching her legs out over his lap. "I was just giving him a pep talk. Telling him what a ladykiller he's gonna be one day."

Daryl snorted but didn't reply, absently running his hands over her bare calves.

"I had a nightmare." She wasn't entirely sure why she was telling him, but the paralysing fear she'd experienced was still weighing heavily on her chest. "What did Rick want?"

Daryl shrugged. He didn't want to talk about Rick or the apocalypse or Carl. He didn't even want to think about Sophia or his wound or the search.

"Hey, you two! I'm not about to get an eyeful am I? Not that the two of you don't make a pretty sight when you're naked, I'm sure you do but voyeurism really isn't my thing-"

Lochie stuck her head through the tent flaps, both palms clapped tightly over her eyes. She peeped through her fingers. Daryl was glaring at her but she seemed unfazed.

"Where've you been all morning?" She demanded, nudging Cassidy with her sneakered toe.

"I wasn't well."

Lochie laughed disbelievingly.

"You're never ill." She pointed out. "Come on, you promised."

"What?"

Lochie glowered at her, both hands on her hips.

"You promised to teach me yoga when we got the time."

"That was before the world went to shit, Lochie." Cassidy grumbled.

"And now we have all the time we'll ever need. Let's go." Lochie announced, quite unrepentant.

Cassidy swore at her but her aching body was thoroughly on Lochie's side.

"Alright." She sighed. "Although I don't know how you expect me to teach you. Yoga is about patience and balance and self-control. You don't have any of those qualities."

"The hell I don't!" Lochie argued as Cassidy pulled on her discarded sweat pants. "What about that job in Sicily? We were dangling on that bloody beam for hours. I kept my balance then… and my patience."

"You were wired to me. You kept your balance because I did, genius."

"Oh whatever. We wouldn't have got in there in the first place if it wasn't for me."

"Oh I don't know, I'm pretty sure I could set the alarm off myself."

"I did not set the alarm off."

"So it just happened to go off as soon as we got in there?"

"Coincidence. Happens all the time."

"I don't believe in coincidences."

"And I don't believe in good luck, doesn't stop me doing one good deed every day, just in case."

"That's karma, genius."

"Whatever it is, I'm still not seeing any proof yet."

"That's because your karma sucks."

Daryl sighed as their bickering voices faded into the distance. It didn't even bug him the way they argued any more, in fact he was finding it disturbingly familiar and even amusing. He didn't know which part concerned him more.

* * *

><p><strong>gurl3677<strong> – absolutely :D

**LadyLecter47** – I know! And then we'll only get a few weeks until it'll be the end of the series and we have to wait ages for the next one :(

**VileMalapert** – admittedly I'd quite enjoy spending my day daydreaming about Rick and Daryl groping each other lol thanks very much glad you enjoyed it

**undeadangel** – thanks a lot

**Dalonega Noquisi** – it was a just a little bit of fun to keep you on your toes lol


	14. Hiatus Drabble 6

A/N: Don't own (although I'd love to have my very own Norman Reedus :D) don't sue!

Lyrics are from 'Rain' by Patty Griffin

**Rain**

**Hiatus Drabble 6**

It's hard to listen to a hard, hard heart  
>Beatin' close to mine<br>Poundin' up against the stone and steel  
>Walls that I won't climb<br>Sometimes a hurt is so deep, deep, deep  
>You think that you're gonna drown<br>Sometimes all I can do is weep, weep, weep  
>With all this rain fallin' down<br>Strange, how hard it rains now  
>Rows and rows of big dark clouds<br>When I'm holding on underneath this shroud  
>Rain<br>It's hard to know when to give up the fight  
>Some things you want will just never be right<br>It's never rained like it has tonight before  
>Now, I don't wanna beg you, baby<br>For something maybe you could never give  
>I'm not lookin' for the rest of your life<br>I just want another chance to live  
>Strange, how hard it rains now<br>Rows and rows of big dark clouds  
>When I'm holdin' on underneath this shroud<br>Rain

"What is that?"

Daryl's step faltered at Shane's belligerent voice. He hurried back into the makeshift camp. Shane was glaring at Glenn and Cassidy. Cassidy glared right back. She really had no problem with Shane, but she was fully aware that he was having some sort of mini-breakdown at the moment. Daryl's bright gaze swept the scene for the source of contention between them. They finally settled on what was dangling from a nearby tree. A swing. They'd built a swing. Well technically it was a fallen branch that was surprisingly wide, tied to a tall branch with rope. He bit his lip to keep from laughing at the thunderous look on Shane's face.

"What does it look like, Deputy?" Cassidy tossed at him coolly, running her little hands over the rope. "It's not doing anyone any harm, what's the problem?"

Shane looked black with anger for a moment and then his face broke into a reluctant grin and he stomped off irritably. Daryl watched them as Glenn and T-Dog checked the knots in the ropes, securing them. She said something to T-Dog and he put his hands on her waist. Daryl took an involuntary step forwards. They turned to look at him, surprised by the sudden movement. Glenn took a rapid step back from Cassidy. She rolled her eyes and tapped T-Dog's arm, indicating for him to continue. T-Dog shot Daryl a slightly nervous look and then obeyed, lifting Cassidy up and onto the swing. He held onto her for a moment as she balanced, testing the swing could hold her weight. He stepped back experimentally, leaving his hands slightly outstretched in case he needed to snatch her out of the air if the swing broke.

"See." She crowed triumphantly, leaning up onto her tiptoes and gripping the ropes on either side for leverage. "Told you it would hold."

She fixed her gaze on Glenn who was cringing away from Daryl as if he expected him to suddenly go for his throat.

"Glenn! Come here."

He jumped and stared at her, looking quite petrified. She held out one hand to him and he stared at it in confusion.

"I told you it would hold, I bet it can hold two of us."

"What about T-Dog?" Glenn stammered.

"He's too broad we wouldn't both fit on." She frowned at him. "Something wrong with being on here with me?"

He shot a terrified look at Daryl who was standing quite expressionlessly, watching the scene before him with his arms folded across his chest. Admittedly, he wasn't thrilled with the idea but he could hardly protest without sounding ridiculous. He wasn't even sure if they knew that he and Cassidy were… whatever they were. Glenn looked scared of Daryl if he did grab onto Cassidy and scared of Cassidy if he didn't. In the end he shuffled forwards, looking as if he was on his way to be executed. T-Dog helped him scramble up onto the swing until he was standing opposite her, their feet interlocking on the wood.

"Swing." She ordered.

He bent his knees and pushed against the wood. The branch groaned but held steady as she imitated his movements. Before long the swing was moving steadily through the air. Cassidy and Glenn bent their knees further, sending the swing wider and wider. Glenn's cap flew off and Cassidy laughed, her hair bannering out behind her then whipping over her face as Glenn pushed the swing towards her. Her laughter blew over Daryl as he watched. She looked younger than usual as she laughed, her eyes sparkling and her cheeks pink from exertion.

Their laughter summoned the others and Carl watched wide-eyed as they swung even higher, the branch creaking in protest. Eventually T-Dog grabbed the swing and helped them to slow down. Glenn stumbled off it on wobbly legs, his equilibrium off-kilter. Maggie was leaning against the RV trying her hardest not to grin at the sight of him.

"I feel queasy." He moaned as Dale helped him settle down in a chair.

"Come on, kid." Cassidy said to Carl, still perched on the swing with her loose hair snaking wildly over her shoulders.

He started forwards immediately but Lori grabbed his shoulder. She was frowning, as usual. Cassidy had dropped into a sitting position on the swing, unlacing her boots.

"I don't think that's a good idea." Lori said.

Cassidy finished with her shoes and gave the brunette a long level look. It was no secret that there was no love lost between Cassidy and Lori, but they tried never to argue in front of Carl. In fact they generally stayed away from each other as much as possible.

"It's perfectly safe." Cassidy said stiffly. "T-Dog will catch him if the swing starts to give."

Lori looked far from convinced but Shane returned with Rick who was beaming at the swing as though it was the answer to all of his problems. Clearly the childish contraption had cheered him to no end. Lori turned immediately to him for support but he only frowned at her. They argued in an undertone for a moment and then Rick nodded at Carl who clambered onto the swing with T-Dog's help.

Daryl stood slightly apart from them. He had no interest in Rick and Lori arguing again, he was disturbed by how his gaze was drawn straight to Cassidy. She looked young and pretty and fresh. The paint on her bare toes was flashing in the sun, her long legs in her shorts had bronzed to a smooth caramel and every time she bent and pushed against the swing her brown arms flexed. He suddenly felt very old and very weary.

* * *

><p>The excitement of the swing had died down and everyone had gone back to their own occupations. Cassidy and Carl were still by the swing, going through some French sayings that Daryl couldn't understand. Carl was swinging lightly on the swing, his brow wrinkled as he concentrated and Cassidy was perched on the branch above him. Daryl had seated himself outside his tent, checking over his weapons and keeping a watchful eye on the distracting redhead. He knew that she was perfectly capable of handling herself should anything happen but he couldn't quite bring himself to leave her to it.<p>

Lochie sauntered over to him idly, throwing herself down into the grass besides him. She looked young again, hardly more than a teenager. Knee-length denim cut-offs, a rolled up black t-shirt with Slayer emblazoned across it in jagged white lettering and a pair of old high-tops. Her hair was wild. She was unusually quiet. Daryl did not involve himself with the emotional well-being of any of his fellow survivors, but despite himself he sort of liked the spunky little brat. He eyed her warily. She was gazing miserably into the woods. At the spot where Rick and Shane had vanished a few moments ago.

"Let it go, girly." He said gruffly, startling her into peering up at him in surprise. "That's a mess you don't wanna get yaself into."

She glared at him mutinously. He glared back.

"I don't know what you're talking about." She snapped stiffly.

"What is it about that fucking Sheriff?" Daryl muttered, scratching his arm absently.

Carl let out a peel of laughter and his eyes flicked automatically to the two figures in the distance. Carl was convulsed with giggles and the low hum of Cassidy's distant voice was amused.

"Everyone likes a hero." Lochie said quietly. She sighed. "Crushes. I hate crushes. They get you all worked up over nothing." She said gloomily. "He thinks I'm just a kid, treats me like I'm a burden he has to protect."

Daryl snorted with laughter.

"Rick treats every one of ya'll like that." He pointed out.

"_US_ all." Lochie corrected sweetly. "You're one of his little ducklings too, sweetcheeks."

Daryl looked thoroughly affronted and Lochie bit back a grin. She drew her knees up to her chest and tucked her arms around them.

"Daryl?"

He grunted to indicate he was listening, squinting hard at a map of the areas left to search.

"Does this place…" Lochie faltered, casting a look over her shoulder at the house in the distance. "Does it give you the creeps?"

Daryl's sharp blue eyes flickered over the edge of the map and scanned over the young girl. Her hair had fallen over her forehead, her thin shoulders were drawn close to her knees and her vivid eyes were searching the fields surrounding them.

"Something's not right here." She continued quietly, her arms tightening around her knees.

"What's with the frown?"

Lochie jumped when Cassidy and Carl appeared besides them, casting a shadow across her.

"Talking about you always takes the fun out of life." Lochie snapped, sticking her tongue out at Cassidy when she flicked her the bird.

"Hey, guys." Rick ran a hand through his wet curls as he stalked out of the trees to join them.

Daryl handed him the map in his hand.

"You look like hell, Sheriff." Cassidy said idly.

She'd moved to stand besides Daryl, so close he could feel the heat from her bare skin seeping into his shoulder.

"You should take a break."

"You think we should stop looking?" Rick asked, with that long intense blue-eyed stare that could never be anything but sincere.

Cassidy opened her mouth to say something but Lochie jammed her elbow behind her into her shin and she bit her lip irritably.

"I think you need to rest. It's a hundred degrees out here."

As if to prove her point a bead of sweat trickled from Rick's hairline, trailing down his forehead and catching in his stubble. He sighed, rubbing his hands over his tired face. He glanced over his shoulder at the camp, clearly looking for Lori. She wasn't anywhere in sight.

"Pull up a patch of grass." Lochie offered, patting the ground besides her.

Rick looked pained for a moment, his eyes straying back to the tree-line guiltily. He finally sank down onto the grass, stretching out in the sun.

"Come on, kid. I'll show you some of those self-defence moves."

Cassidy squeezed Daryl's arm briefly as she led Carl away towards the area she mainly used for sparring with Lochie. Daryl watched them go.

"How does a pretty young girl end up all the way out here?" Rick was asking Lochie.

"I travel a lot." She said evasively, sitting cross-legged besides him so her shadow shaded his face. "We were in Dallas when everything kicked off. We headed for Atlanta hoping to catch a plane out of here. We were going to highjack one if necessary."

Rick peered at her but from her grin it was impossible to tell if she was serious or not.

"Do you and Cassidy… live together?"

Lochie shrugged.

"Not really. Like I said we both travel all over the world for work. If we're in the same country at the same time we rent a place together depending on how long we're likely to be staying. Some jobs take longer than others."

Rick was looking at her expectantly but she didn't elaborate, or mention anything to do with what their work entailed.

"So you worked together?"

She flicked her hair off her sweating forehead with two fingers, eyeing Rick's stubbled jawline and the sharp planes of his face. She could feel her cheeks turning pink and it had nothing to do with the heat.

"Sometimes."

As she leaned over to brush away a beetle crawling up Rick's shin, he squinted and winced at the sudden harsh sunlight.

"You ok?"

He shrugged.

"Headache."

Lochie touched his shoulder, his muscles were bunched tightly, rock hard with stress.

"You need to relax." She remonstrated. "Turn around."

He looked at her in surprise but obediently turned slightly. Lochie positioned herself behind him, digging her fingers into the tense muscles at his neck. She kneaded and rubbed and wiggled her deft fingertips until she felt him relax, the knots unwinding. Lochie's heart was hammering, her fingers were thrumming with electricity. She half expected Lori to come marching over with her claws out. Of course it was perfectly innocent. She wasn't even touching his bare skin, not really, just a little bit at his neck. Still her nerves were jumping all over the place and she couldn't quite seem to even out her breathing.

"You're very good at that."

His voice breaking the tense silence made her jump and her fingers dug into his shoulders automatically. He patted her hand reassuringly.

"Oh you know, I'm one of those girls who knows a little about a lot of things."

"You're one of those girls who manages never to reveal anything about herself." He retorted smartly.

She grinned, working the kinks out of his neck and trying not to notice the sparks every time her fingers touched his bare skin. She'd never seen Rick like this before, he was relaxed and a little bit teasing. Pins and needles were shooting through her legs and she stretched them out on either side of him. It took her a moment to realise that his shoulders had tensed again. Now she wasn't particularly sharp when it came to body language like Cassidy was, but she was pretty sure it was the sight of her bare legs around him that had brought on the sudden tension.

Lochie hesitated. She wasn't usually the kind of girl who tried to poach a married man from his wife. Of course things were different now, and Lori treated him so terribly, and she had been screwing around behind his back. She decided to test the waters by running her little hands down his back, trailing her nails along the sweat-stiffened material of his shirt. The muscles in his back contracted and she felt her pulse start to gallop. Rick was loyal to a fault, ruled by his sense of morality and decency and Lochie knew that he would never betray Lori if he could help it. But she also knew that he was attracted to her. Unlike Cassidy, who would have no qualms about making her move on a married man if it was what she wanted, Lochie's conscience pricked at her.

She glanced over her shoulder but Daryl was gone, vanished silently without a word. They both jumped guiltily when they heard Lori calling for Rick from the camp. Lochie scrambled to her feet so quickly she nearly tripped over. Rick caught her elbow and steadied her as he got up.

"Thanks." He said gruffly.

His hand was still on her elbow. Lori called again.

"You should go." Lochie suggested in a none-too-steady voice.

Rick nodded but he didn't let go of her arm, he seemed to have forgotten that he had hold of her. Something was surging between them and Lochie wasn't sure she could have broken away from him if she tried. The grass whistled slightly as Lori's boots crushed it down as she approached. Lochie slipped out of Rick's grasp and bolted.

* * *

><p>Watching Cassidy work out, showing Carl basic stretches and holds, had worked Daryl up to such a pitch that he could hardly wait for the kid to hit the bricks. Cassidy had merely smiled in smug amusement when he'd pounced on her. Afterwards he'd lain back in the grass, exhausted and satisfied, and she'd settled on her front propping her arms on his stomach, lacing long strands of grass together.<p>

"We should have a dog around here." She said suddenly, snatching up another handful of grass and braiding it into the tail she'd already made.

"A dog?" He repeated lazily, watching the sweat on her bare back trail down her spine.

"A dog." She echoed. "I had two dogs you know, English Mastiffs. They were huge. Bela and Boris." Her voice had taken on that strange flowing quality as if she were telling a story rather than mentioning her past.

He chuckled and she dug an elbow into his navel.

"Boris and Bela?" He snorted in his defence, fending off another blow of her elbow with one hand.

"Yes." She said stubbornly. "Boris Karloff and Bela Lugosi, of course."

She eyed him, assessing whether he knew who she was talking about. Evidently he did because he didn't scoff again so she ceased her harsh elbow jabs. His hand had tangled in her hair, winding the thick rope around his fist and then releasing it. She finished with her braid of grass and set about brushing it over his naked thighs, trailing it over his hips and the sensitive skin of his stomach until he squirmed.

"Horror movies, huh."

She cast him a long considering look.

"Naturally. Especially Hammer horror." She replied coolly. "I had ninety percent of them on DVD, even the rare ones that I had to steal or blackmail someone for." She sighed wistfully, peering across him as if she could see something pleasant in the distance. "Don't suppose it makes much difference now though. Probably been looted." She stiffened angrily as if she could see her beloved apartment being ransacked right before her eyes. "Scum with absolutely no concept of culture."

"Take it easy there, Red." Daryl laughed when her teasing with the braid of grass became almost a lashing, not a particularly unpleasant one, mind.

"Do you think there're still Drive Ins out there somewhere?" She asked thoughtfully. "I always wanted to go to a Drive In."

"Drive Ins were built for one thing." He muttered.

"Philistine." She grumbled.

He opened his mouth to retort but it died in his throat when he felt her lips against the soft trail of downy hair descending from his belly button.

"I want to open my own Drive In one day." She breathed again his warm skin.

"Whatever you want, Red." He murmured haltingly. "Whatever you want."

* * *

><p><strong>VileMalapert<strong> – thanks I hope you enjoy this one too

**SaraLostInes** – apologies, although in my defence it was 3am when I was writing it lol. That's pretty much how I'd imagine Daryl reacting to the idea. Thanks, I think Carl is awesome he deserves lots more airtime

**LadyLecter47** – I have to wait an extra week for the second half because I'm in England. Grrrr. I can't last!

**AudioRKO** – all in due time, all in due time. I'm glad you like it, I love Lochie she's highly influenced by Kenzie from Lost Girl but not nearly as cool unfortunately lol


	15. Hiatus Drabble 7

A/N: Don't own (although I'd love to have my very own Norman Reedus :D) don't sue!

Lyrics are from 'Rain' by Patty Griffin

OK I'm sorry but it really bugs me how everyone now portrays Shane as some sort of psychotic rapist. I really don't condone violence against women but wtf? Has he ever threatened a single woman in the show apart from the incident with Lori? Erm no. In fact he's done more to protect the useless bint than she deserves after the way she treated him. Not that she deserved to be attacked because no one does but come on. Personally I'd rather have Shane in the show than Lori. Rant over :)

**Rain**

**Hiatus Drabble 7**

It's hard to listen to a hard, hard heart  
>Beatin' close to mine<br>Poundin' up against the stone and steel  
>Walls that I won't climb<br>Sometimes a hurt is so deep, deep, deep  
>You think that you're gonna drown<br>Sometimes all I can do is weep, weep, weep  
>With all this rain fallin' down<br>Strange, how hard it rains now  
>Rows and rows of big dark clouds<br>When I'm holding on underneath this shroud  
>Rain<br>It's hard to know when to give up the fight  
>Some things you want will just never be right<br>It's never rained like it has tonight before  
>Now, I don't wanna beg you, baby<br>For something maybe you could never give  
>I'm not lookin' for the rest of your life<br>I just want another chance to live  
>Strange, how hard it rains now<br>Rows and rows of big dark clouds  
>When I'm holdin' on underneath this shroud<br>Rain

"Keep still!"

"I'm trying!"

"I thought you had a high pain threshold?"

"I have but you're jabbing too hard. You're doing this on purpose, aren't you?"

"Oh totally. I take great pleasure in this."

"I wouldn't put it past you. OW!"

Daryl was helping Carol drag buckets of water from the well back to camp when he heard the ruckus. Carl and Glenn were hovering outside Cassidy's tent looking worried. Daryl felt a shot of fear surge through his gut and he came to an abrupt halt. Carol looked over at him anxiously, clearly concerned he'd made his injury worse with the exertion. She followed his gaze. His face was drawn into a frown, his brow furrowed and his blue eyes were blazing. Carol was starting to understand the younger Dixon just a little bit and right now he looked absolutely furious.

"You should go and check on her-"

He cut her off with a blistering look, a curse streaming from his mouth before he could contain it. He grabbed up the buckets he'd dropped and stomped off towards the camp. Carol watched him go. She wasn't offended that he'd sworn at her, Daryl had to be handled a little like a wild animal. When he got scared he got angry, when he was close to feeling an emotion he got angry and when he was confused he got angry. Right now he was all three. He was wounded and he was going to lick his wounds and brood.

When Carol reached the camp he was pacing, a cigarette dangling from his lips and his fiery eyes jumping around as if they were on stalks. He was determinedly avoiding the tent where Lochie and Cassidy were still griping at each other. After an interminably long time, Carl wandered back over to the camp. Seeing that Daryl might literally take the boy's head off in his current state, Carol intercepted him.

"What's going on? Are they alright?"

Carl nodded, moving past Carol and rooting through the pile of dry laundry waiting to be sorted.

"Yeah. Cassidy got sunburnt. Lochie's putting lotion on it."

He finally retrieved an old t-shirt and dunked it in one of the buckets. He was heading back to the tent when Daryl's hand whipped out. He grabbed the t-shirt and stalked off ahead of him. Carl watched him go. Carol put a gentle hand on his shoulder and squeezed reassuringly.

"Is he mad at me?" Carl asked in bemusement.

"Daryl's mad at everyone, dear." Carol said soothingly.

* * *

><p>Daryl glowered at Lochie and she glared right back, finally rolling her eyes then sliding out of the tent. Cassidy opened her eyes when she felt Lochie leave. Daryl towered over her looking thunderous.<p>

"What's _your _problem?"

He crouched down in front of her. Her shoulders were bright red and rather angry-looking, they glistened where the lotion had already soaked in. He pressed the soaked t-shirt gently against the burnt skin and she flinched.

"Apparently my pasty English skin can't cope with standing in the direct midday sunlight for hours on end." She answered his unasked question grumpily. "Fucking Lochie's fault. Fucking yoga."

He still didn't reply. He could feel the heat of her skin emanating through the damp cloth.

"What's that?" He finally asked.

The burnt red skin had exposed a scar usually indiscernible against her freckled skin. It was shaped like a delicate white star, nestled right where her shoulder blended into her collar bone.

"Hmm? Oh. Bullet." She murmured, quite lost in the satisfying sensation of the tepid water dribbling over her burning flesh.

He ran his finger along a faint white trail along her inner upper arm.

"Knife." She peered at him curiously. "I'll give you the rundown if you like." She indicated a faint mark on her thigh he'd noticed but never asked about. "Broken window." She tipped her hand back so he could see the slightly raised scar along her palm. "Whip." She tilted her head so he could see a mark behind her ear, shaped rather like an arrowhead. "Another bullet, that one was a graze."

He'd observed all of them before but he'd never taken the time to ask about them, she was very cagey about her past. Now that she'd opened the door, however, his curiosity was getting the better of him.

"What about this one."

He placed his hand across her ribs, just under her left breast where a delicate silver scar about three inches long was hidden by her black vest. He could feel her thumping heart increase its pace although whether it was because of his hand or his question, he couldn't tell.

"A knife." She whispered, casting her eyes to where his brown hand was warm against her ribs through the thin material of her top.

"Musta hurt."

She shrugged and then hissed in pain, her breath whistling through her teeth as she tugged the painful burnt skin.

"It was my mistake, I misjudged him. I thought he was planning his way out, he was calculating how long it would take him to shove his knife between my ribs before I could stop him."

Daryl could feel his own heart start to pound a little faster.

"Obviously, he managed it." She went on, tipping her head forwards so her fringe drifted over her forehead and masked her eyes. "If the blade had been a few millimetres longer…" She drew her thumb across her neck with a not very humorous smile twisting her lips.

"It woulda pierced ya heart." Daryl the hunter cottoned on almost immediately and she nodded.

"Shredded my lungs as it was, broke a rib which then also pierced my lung, grazed my heart." Her skin had gone quite clammy and sweat had broken out on her forehead. "I had to spend my twenty-first birthday in a freaking hospital, breathing through a machine. Bastard."

Now there was the Cassidy he was getting used to.

"I did kill him, of course." She said suddenly, the slight cold tinge to her voice indicating she was testing him. He didn't flinch and he met her assessing green gaze head on. "He assumed that since I was coughing up blood everywhere and wheezing like a good 'un, I wasn't a threat any more."

Her lips twisted up into that menacing, slightly maniacal, smile that simultaneously sent a shiver down his spine and a jolt of desire coursing through his blood.

"Aren't you scared of me?" She asked suddenly, sounding more curious than threatening.

"No."

"The others would be… if they knew who I was." She mused as he resumed his careful cooling of her burnt skin.

"Ya care what they think?" He snorted doubtfully, squeezing the t-shirt so the water ran in rivulets over her bare skin, staining the dusty black vest.

"They've got bigger things to be scared of than me." She cast an amused look over him. "They're scared of you. I think that's adorable."

"What?" Daryl growled, looking thoroughly affronted.

Colour mounted in his cheeks and his eyes shot sparks but she only smiled back at him serenely.

"Well you're such a sweetheart." She continued. "All hard and stony on the outside when really you're soft and gooey on the inside."

He sputtered at her, too outraged to find the right words to defend his masculine ability to intimidate.

"Don't worry, I won't tell anyone." She went on airily, quite clearly thoroughly enjoying herself. "Oh don't get your knickers in a twist." She scolded when he glared at her. "How about if I spread the word that despite your soft innards, you're very hard in all the right places?"

Her eyes were sparkling mischievously and, although he thoroughly wanted to snub her out of pique, he couldn't seem to work up the motivation when her little hands had managed to slide up under his sleeveless flannel shirt and were currently stroking the little path of hair descending from his belly button.

"Really? You've burnt yaself to a crisp an' you still want to-"

"Absolutely." She replied immediately, leaning forwards until he could feel her breath fanning against his pulse point. "Maybe I can't get enough of you." She giggled, working at unbuttoning his jeans.

Daryl grunted. He could hold his own with women but he wouldn't exactly call himself irresistible. Of course he'd never met anyone like her. If they'd met Before, she probably wouldn't have given him a second look. Or even a first look.

"What's wrong?"

He realised he'd been staring intently down at her for quite a while and she was now peering at him with a frown.

"Thinkin'." He grunted.

"Whatever you're thinking, it's clearly wrong." She said wryly, flicking her gaze down to where her hands were now resting on his jeaned thighs and absolutely nothing was happening.

He squirmed. That had never happened to him before. Alright maybe once when he was so drunk he was almost paralytic and he wouldn't have been able to tell the difference between his then girlfriend and a gap in the duvet. But usually just being near her was enough to make him jump to attention. He peeked at her but she didn't look offended, just strangely sad, as if she knew what he was thinking. Why did he care if she wouldn't have had a moment for him back then, there was no back then anymore. This was all that was left and right now, she wanted him. He still felt slightly miserable, no matter what he told himself.

She buttoned up his jeans again. He felt that maybe he should apologize but he wasn't good at that. To his astonishment, she didn't tell him to leave or flick him a patronizing look. In fact she looked genuinely concerned. He felt deflated. He didn't know why it would affect him so much, the concept that she wouldn't be with him if things were different. He'd always known she was out of his league. Pretty young girls with the kind of education and skills she had, did not go for scruffy dirty old rednecks who did odd jobs for a living.

She threatened to injure him if he didn't tell her what was going on in his head and he had no doubt that she would do just that. So he told her, in blunt sharp statements that he hoped needled her as much as they pricked him.

"If this hadn't happened I probably wouldn't have met you." She agreed honestly, looking at him from beneath her long feathery lashes. "I can't say we'd have still done this." She gestured between them. "But there's the chance we would have." She cocked her head. "You've put me on this pedestal, Dixon. I'm nothing special. In fact I'm quite a long way down on the scale." She dropped her gaze and he could have sworn her cheeks were turning pink. "You're much better than me, really."

His laugh was mirthless and grim and she glowered at him in the same way Carol had taken to doing sometimes. It was a strange expression full of something akin to affection.

"You are a good person, Daryl Dixon." She said sternly, fixing her eyes on him until his protestations died away. "Now, if you're not going to screw me, I think I'll have a nap. My shoulders are hurting like a bitch."

He choked back his laughter and the tense moment between them snapped cleanly in two. He had to admit, he quite liked how brief her girly emotional moments were. She'd settled onto her back, her shoulder resting on the wet t-shirt. Seeing her long legs coiled under her and the smooth expanse of her navel exposed under the short vest, he felt himself stir. She gave him the beady eye.

"No."

He sighed and lumbered out of the tent.

* * *

><p><strong>Dalonega Noquisi<strong> – thanks I'm glad

**SaraLostInes** – I don't think Daryl really does talking about relationships lol every time I watch the show I just want to slap Lori and thrust Rick at someone better

**LadyLecter47** – I'm going to have to do my best to avoid spoilers during that week, it'll kill me if I find out what happens before I get to see the episode!

**VileMalapert** – thanks, she might just do that but not yet I'm afraid


	16. Hiatus Drabble 8

A/N: Don't own (although I'd love to have my very own Norman Reedus :D) don't sue!

Lyrics are from 'Rain' by Patty Griffin

This may be the last drabble, MAYBE. New chapter will probably be up after I've seen the new episode.

**Rain**

**Hiatus Drabble 8**

It's hard to listen to a hard, hard heart  
>Beatin' close to mine<br>Poundin' up against the stone and steel  
>Walls that I won't climb<br>Sometimes a hurt is so deep, deep, deep  
>You think that you're gonna drown<br>Sometimes all I can do is weep, weep, weep  
>With all this rain fallin' down<br>Strange, how hard it rains now  
>Rows and rows of big dark clouds<br>When I'm holding on underneath this shroud  
>Rain<br>It's hard to know when to give up the fight  
>Some things you want will just never be right<br>It's never rained like it has tonight before  
>Now, I don't wanna beg you, baby<br>For something maybe you could never give  
>I'm not lookin' for the rest of your life<br>I just want another chance to live  
>Strange, how hard it rains now<br>Rows and rows of big dark clouds  
>When I'm holdin' on underneath this shroud<br>Rain

"Whatcha keep looking at me like that for, kid?" Cassidy finally asked, swallowing her mouthful of whatever it was they'd been cooking over the fire all morning. She preferred not to dwell on what the stringy meat might actually be.

She sounded so much like Daryl that Andrea choked on her mouthful of food and glen giggled behind his hand. Carl jumped and his cheeks flushed pink. Lori was sitting besides him and she glared at Cassidy. Cassidy stared stonily back.

"Nothing." Carl said hurriedly, then he looked hesitantly at her from across the burnt out fire. "It's just, you look…" He scrunched his freckled nose up as he thought. "Confused." He finally offered, his brow wrinkled as though he wasn't sure he'd found the right word.

Cassidy chewed another mouthful as she mulled it over. Daryl's bright eyes were flicking between the two of them thoughtfully. He was starting to realise that Carl observed her just as closely as he did, not in the same way of course, Carl studied her as if she was some sort of magical mythical being who he couldn't hope to ever understand but he was just happy to have the chance to know her. The kid was right, though. Cassidy usually moved and spoke with absolute certainty, never hesitating and never second-guessing herself. She'd had a strange lost look on her face all morning, though.

"Oh." She finally said, fixing a shrewd look on the boy that made his fork falter halfway to his mouth. "I think it's my birthday today. Or it might have been yesterday."

There were general murmurs and congratulations around the camp and Cassidy shifted uncomfortably. She had only agreed to eat breakfast with them because Lochie had insisted on it.

"Happy birthday." Carl said brightly, beaming at her.

She smiled at him, one of those rare real smiles that lit her up.

"I'm quite old now." She sighed, leaning back in the canvas chair and frowning down at her empty plate. "Twenty five."

"That's not old." Carl protested loyally.

"It's the oldest I've ever been." Cassidy argued.

Carl giggled.

"Twenty five is closer to thirty than twenty." Lochie chipped in helpfully.

"And twenty is closer to brat than young woman." Cassidy snapped, nudging Lochie's bare ankle with her booted toe.

Lochie stuck her tongue out.

"Calm down, Grandma. Don't get your pacemaker all worked up."

Carl hurriedly shoved his forkful of food into his mouth to disguise his giggles. Dale looked as if he'd swallowed a lemon and Rick was peering between them in anguish. Cassidy rolled her eyes at the Sheriff. He was always in the middle, mediating arguments and disputes. He hadn't seemed to realise that this was just how they were yet, bickering was a fundamental part of their friendship. Since she was already looking at the Sheriff, and since she was good at reading people, she saw the change that came over his face. Apparently he took something of Lochie's age banter to heart because the blood seemed to drain from his face before flooding back almost immediately. His mouth drew down in a frown and his brows contracted.

Lori followed Cassidy's gaze and frowned. Being more possessive and jealous than observant, she didn't see whatever flickered over Lochie's face during the uncomfortable silence that followed, but Cassidy did. Cassidy got to her feet, sending a significant glance at a distracted Lochie. Following her silent orders, Lochie followed her away from the group.

"Don't say it." Lochie cut in before Cassidy could open her mouth as they made their way over to the buckets used for washing up.

"I wasn't going to say anything." Cassidy lied smoothly, dunking her plate into the bucket.

"Yeah, right." Lochie was not convinced. "Look nothing happened alright, I didn't make a move on another woman's husband. Not really anyway."

Cassidy snorted, scrubbing the plate with an old rag.

"Like I care if you upset her." She said scathingly, scrubbing a little more vigorously than she needed to. "Just… don't go getting your heart crushed."

Lochie stared at her in amazement. Not what she'd expected.

"I could say the same to you."

Cassidy laughed again, finishing with the plate and stacking it with the few other clean ones.

"No you couldn't. Daryl is… it's complicated. Let's just say we're not the falling in love type. But Rick…" She faltered and hesitated, mulling it over and searching for the right words. "He's the kind of guy you can't help falling for. So just be careful alright. Because I don't know about you, but I have no idea where to find a bucket of ice cream and a huge array of horror movies to get you over any heartbreak."

Lochie laughed, linking her arm through Cassidy's as they wandered back towards camp.

"That's how _you_ get over break ups." Lochie pointed out. "Everyone knows the only way to get over someone is to sleep with his best friend."

Shane and Rick were passing by, discussing the day's plans, and the four of them looked at each other for a moment. Lochie turned bright pink and Cassidy struggled to keep her mouth straight. Shane levelled his dark gaze at the two of them. Like Daryl, he'd come to recognise that the two of them were more useful than most of their group put together.

"What're you two doing today?" Rick asked politely, fiddling with the rolled up map in his hands.

Lochie shrugged.

"I'm all yours, Sheriff." She said sweetly.

"What about you?" Shane asked Cassidy, cocking his head to the side.

"I'm not trawling through the woods on a pointless mission." She said firmly.

Shane looked as if he wanted to laugh but he gave her a grim smile instead, rubbing his hand over the back of his shaved head. Rick frowned and Lochie grabbed Cassidy's arm and yanked her towards their tent.

"You know how sensitive Rick is about this Sophia business." She scolded as she searched the small tent for her walking boots.

"And I have kept my mouth shut about it." Cassidy pointed out. "But I'm not putting my neck on the line, scouring the woods for someone that's probably already dead."

Lochie sighed. This was a familiar argument by now and it never got them anywhere.

"Anyway. If you did sleep with Shane to make Rick jealous, that would send Andrea into orbit. I approve." Cassidy said gleefully.

* * *

><p>Since her shoulders were still delicate Cassidy had made the sensible decision to stay out of the sun, which was why she was searching through the RV looking for some form of entertainment. She'd read all the books she'd pilfered at least twice, including the manual for how to take a tractor engine apart and put it back together. She was now bored. She was drawing a blank in the RV though. A deck of cards was immensely boring when you were alone.<p>

She pushed open one of the rather flimsy plastic windows and stuck her head out. Carl was trundling towards his tent with his arms full of relatively clean laundry. Cassidy let out an ear piercing whistle and he dropped the clothes in shock. There was a loud clattering from the roof, Dale and Glenn's voices faltered and Glenn's head appeared over the side of the RV above her.

"Busy kid?" Cassidy called across the camp. Carl shook his head. "Come on, I'll teach you to play poker." She swivelled and peeped up at Glenn, one hand shielding her eyes from the sun. "You too."

The temperature had climbed again and it was much too hot to be closeted inside the RV, even with the doors and windows open, so they settled on the grass outside in the shade cast by the bulky vehicle. Carl and Glenn settled cross-legged on either side of her forming a small triangle.

"Now, I could teach you to play real poker." She began as she shuffled the deck expertly from hand to hand. "Or I could teach you to cheat. Usually I don't approve of cheating but poker is a boring game without it so I'll make an exception." Glenn's eyes were transfixed, watching her nimble little hands as she worked the cards into a blur. "See? While I've been babbling you've been distracted enough for me to arrange the cards."

She shuffled the cards properly and then dealt them all in.

"What're we playing for?" Carl asked as he scooped up his cards.

Cassidy cast him an amused look.

"Here." She slipped the long beaded necklace she'd been wearing on her wrist off and snapped the thin string. She counted out thirty of the little beads each and left ten to one side. "Each bead represents a dollar."

"Just one?"

She laughed and ruffled Carl's hair.

"You're a little shark really aren't you?"

Carl grinned.

* * *

><p>"I give up. Unbelievable. I don't know which one is worse. Bunch of cheaters-"<p>

Rick, Shane, Lochie and Daryl frowned at Glenn as he passed them by, muttering irritably to himself and scowling darkly.

"What was that about?" Rick asked as Glenn waved off his greeting and stomped right past them.

Lochie pointed over to the RV where Carl and Cassidy were cackling like a bunch of old hens and apparently flicking something at each other.

"Dad, look!" Carl called as they approached, holding out a long piece of delicate string strung with dozens of beads. "Look what I won."

Rick examined the broken necklace in confusion.

"You did not teach him to play poker?" Lochie said, clapping a hand to her mouth to hide her giggles.

"I didn't need to." Cassidy argued with dignity. "Little sneak cleaned us out."

"How'd ya get Glenn's hat then?" Daryl chortled, slapping the peak of the hat until it tipped down over her nose.

She straightened it out and glared at him.

"Glenn's too sweet to play poker, he can't lie to save his skinny backside. I didn't even have to flash him any leg to distract him."

"You owe me three hundred dollars." Carl chipped in, waving the string of beads under her nose.

"Indeed I do not." Cassidy sniffed. "We agreed each bead was one dollar."

"Nuh uh!" Carl protested. "Each bead was ten dollars!"

"Well the point is moot because money means naff all nowadays." Lochie interjected helpfully.

"Absolutely not." Cassidy growled, glaring up at Lochie. "I always pay my debts. You'll get your money kid."

Carl grinned and dashed off after Shane for his shooting practice. Rick and Lochie took a seat on the grass besides Cassidy after some cajoling and Daryl slid down the RV on her other side. She liked the way he positioned himself so his bare sweating arm was pressed lightly against hers through the thin material of one of his shirts she'd commandeered.

"No luck, huh?"

It wasn't really a question, it was quite obvious they hadn't found the girl yet. She blinked in surprise when she realised that Daryl had slid his hand onto her bare thigh, his fingers had slipped into the gap between her thighs where one calf was crossed over the other. His thumb lightly brushed over her bare skin. It wasn't the caress that surprised her, it was the public nature of his touch. He'd never touched her in front of the others before, well not that kind of touch anyway, an almost possessive yet strangely gentle intimate touch. She found one of the beads they'd been throwing at each other and she rolled it between her fingers, then flicked it. It landed in the bucket used for washing up with a loud plop.

Lochie grabbed another discarded bead and mimicked Cassidy's action. The bead made a disappointing swoop and landed a few feet away. Cassidy snorted. Lochie swore at her.

"Go on, Sheriff. How's your aim?" Cassidy taunted, handing Rick another bead.

Rick flicked the bead and it soared across the camp and disappeared into the grass. Cassidy whistled.

"Nice action."

Rick looked embarrassed and she smirked. He was so adorable. Had she been in the mood she would have continued with the innuendo until she'd seen quite how pink he could blush. She didn't have the energy though, and Daryl's hand had tightened infinitesimally on her thigh. The thought sent an absurd swoop of pleasure surging through her stomach.

"We should get back to the search." Rick finally sighed after a good ten minutes of peaceful silence, rubbing his hand through his damp curls as he got up.

"You haven't eaten." Lochie scolded as she scrambled to her feet. "You said you'd eat."

"I'm not hungry-"

"Bullshit."

Rick gaped at her. Cassidy had the feeling that Lori had only ever whined at him when they argued, or screeched at him. Lochie was challenging him and he looked completely baffled. Rick was almost an entire head and shoulders taller than Lochie but he definitely seemed to be cowering as she glared at him, her hands on her hips, practically breathing fire.

"Let's go find something to eat." She said firmly.

"But-"

Her eyes narrowed and he smiled meekly, following her back towards the camp.

"That might be one of the funniest things I've ever seen." Cassidy observed.

She sighed and let her head fall back against the metal of the RV, fanning herself with Glenn's cap.

"Ya gonna keep that?"

She shrugged without looking at him.

"Might do. My trophy." She grinned when he didn't reply. "Nah, he can have it back."

He remained silent but she heard the striking of a match and smelt the sharp tangy scent as he lit up.

"Twenty five." Daryl grunted, blowing a plume of smoke into the air.

"Yup." Cassidy replied without opening her eyes, letting him guide the cigarette to her mouth. "I keep forgetting I'm still so young."

He slanted his gaze across to the side of her face but she looked serious enough. He never could tell when she was joking. She frowned, rubbing her neck with a grimace of pain.

"All these aches and pains, you'd think I was your age." She teased.

He glowered at her but she still had her eyes closed so the effect was somewhat diminished.

"Funny." He grumped moodily; the age gap was still a sore point as far as he was concerned, even if she laughed it off whenever he mentioned it. "What's that one? Wrestling a gator?"

She laughed, finally cracking open an eye and peeping at him in amusement.

"Nothing as dramatic as that." She sighed. "Slipped on the stage, cracked it on the pole. Fractured my clavicle."

Daryl choked on the smoke he'd just inhaled, gaping at her with his mouth hanging open.

"P-pole?" He managed to get out between wheezing gulps for air. "You were a stripper?"

"I was a pole dancer." She corrected haughtily. "No nudity involved. It was a very high class place too."

"Oh I bet."

She narrowed her eyes at him.

"Pole dancing is an excellent form of exercise, thank you very much. Six months of it had me in the best shape I've ever been in."

He took the opportunity to run a hot gaze over every inch of her. The denim cut offs concealed very little and one of his favourite shirts had been tied under her breasts to expose her navel.

"How old were ya?"

She shrugged, her eyes flitting closed again.

"Nineteen."

"Paying your way through school?" He grinned.

She jabbed him sharply with her elbow.

"Hardly. Undercover, I suppose. Surveillance." She fell silent.

"You fell." He said slowly, sounding slightly puzzled. "Slipped. Fell."

"Yes, Dixon. I'd explain it further but I can't think of any words that small." She quipped, looking at him strangely.

"Can't see you slipping." He snapped defensively. "Ya do all that dancin' and fancy stretching and sparring with Lochie. You never fall."

She turned quite pink and she avoided his eye awkwardly.

"I used to be very clumsy, one of the reasons I wasn't very good at ballet. Besides, dancing in stilettos is not easy." She gave him an assessing look. "I'm assuming you don't know that from experience."

He looked at her, not quite sure if she was referring to the strip joints he'd visited or indicating that he'd physically tried dancing in eight inch heels.

"Of course I'm sure you couldn't afford to frequent the kind of place I worked."

He opened his mouth irritably but she pre-empted him by placing one warm hand on the back of his neck and drawing his mouth down to hers. Usually when they kissed it was a prelude to what came next, which was mostly hot nasty and somewhat hasty. This time he decided to keep his hands where they were and enjoy the heady mix of her body pressing against his, her lips moving with his and the delicious scent of her hair. Her hands had slid up, tangling in his hair and pulling lightly sending prickles of pleasure surging through him.

She broke away only when she couldn't last any longer without a gasp of oxygen. She rested her forehead against his slick throat, his pounding pulse a steady beat through her head. She didn't usually condone public touching, or touching at all unless it would result in a climax for one or both of them. He was slightly disturbed by the content throb pulsing through him. He wondered briefly if she expected him to stroke her hair or her shoulder or something, but she'd never displayed any girly behaviour before.

"I don't even remember the last time I just made out with a guy." She said a little breathlessly against his neck. "Err, not guy. I mean a man. A huge tough testosterone-fuelled man."

He could feel her smiling against him.

"Shut up." He said gruffly.

"Just making sure your ego is nicely flattered. Did I mention how well endowed you are? Don't want you feeling like I'm challenging your masculinity or anything. I've told you how well you pleasure me, haven't I?

"Fuck off." He snapped, although he couldn't quite keep the grin from spreading over his face. She could always make him laugh.

"Are you busy, Dixon?"

"Why?"

"Because I plan to spend all afternoon with my tongue down your throat." She purred, rubbing her cheek against his like a cat. "Do you have a problem with that?"

"No ma'am."

* * *

><p><strong>LadyLecter47<strong> – I can't wait

**VileMalapert** – it wasn't very realistic really, as if anyone could ever refuse Daryl Dixon :D

**SaraLostInes** – did Daryl ever strike you as anything other than the jealous type lol? Hmmm I guess it is, it was mainly meant to be snapshots, behind the scenes stuff that didn't make it into the chapters.

**AudioRKO** – the way I saw it was that Daryl was silent because he didn't have anything to say to them really, they are strangers after all. He is the embodiment of sexy cocky, yum :D I adore Kenzie, I'm tinkering with a Kenzie Dyson fic at the moment, can't decide whether to publish it or not.

**undeadangel** – thanks I'm glad


	17. Chapter 9

A/N: Don't own (although I'd love to have my very own Norman Reedus :D) don't sue!

Lyrics are from 'Rain' by Patty Griffin

It's a little bit heavy but so was the episode I guess.

**Rain**

**Chapter Nine**

It's hard to listen to a hard, hard heart  
>Beatin' close to mine<br>Poundin' up against the stone and steel  
>Walls that I won't climb<br>Sometimes a hurt is so deep, deep, deep  
>You think that you're gonna drown<br>Sometimes all I can do is weep, weep, weep  
>With all this rain fallin' down<br>Strange, how hard it rains now  
>Rows and rows of big dark clouds<br>When I'm holding on underneath this shroud  
>Rain<br>It's hard to know when to give up the fight  
>Some things you want will just never be right<br>It's never rained like it has tonight before  
>Now, I don't wanna beg you, baby<br>For something maybe you could never give  
>I'm not lookin' for the rest of your life<br>I just want another chance to live  
>Strange, how hard it rains now<br>Rows and rows of big dark clouds  
>When I'm holdin' on underneath this shroud<br>Rain

Cassidy had never unpacked her duffel bag and she hurriedly shoved all of Lochie's things into her bag as Lochie rested her leg, sitting on the grass outside the tent peering avidly in the direction of the barn.

"Are we leaving?"

She sounded young and vulnerable as Cassidy re-emerged from the tent.

"I don't know." She said tersely. "I don't know what they're going to do. That insane farmer will probably kick them off his land now."

Lochie sniffled, swiping the back of her hand across her face. Cassidy dropped down besides her, her gun tucked securely into the back of her jeans.

"You said 'them'." She pointed out, plucking the grass besides her absently. "You still think of it as 'us' and 'them'."

"Don't you?" Cassidy challenged, looking back towards the barn at the sound of muffled cries.

"I thought, with you and Daryl…" Lochie trailed off, aware that she'd wandered into dangerous waters.

Cassidy didn't reply. Carol had emerged, looking rather like a walker herself, hollow-eyed and slightly dazed. She walked across the camp and into the RV. After a few moments Daryl appeared. His gaze strayed inexorably to the two of them sitting in tense silence. Something passed between them and Cassidy felt her heart sink heavily. No, she wouldn't leave. She dropped her eyes first. She heard the faint creak as Daryl entered the RV. The silence was deafening in the small clearing. No sound from the RV, muted arguing from the barn drifting over the camp like a breeze.

"Should I-"

"No." Cassidy shook her head. "There's nothing anyone could say to make her feel better. That kind of grief-" She cut herself off as if she'd said too much. "Silence won't hurt as much as sympathy and pity."

She didn't add that Daryl was the only one of them who would respect that, because the notion twisted in her guts like a knife. How had she come to know him so well in so little time? Grief was heavy on all of them as they returned briefly and then scattered again, the air was thick with it. Lochie blamed her tears on the pain in her leg but Cassidy knew better. Lochie was a kind-hearted person, she had taken Sophia to her heart during the hours she'd spent with Carol and it had truly stunned her to see it end that way. Cassidy gave her a painkiller and helped her into the tent to sleep. Or cry.

She paced for a while. Whatever it was the rest of them were doing, they hadn't asked her to help them. She felt edgy being alone with nothing to do, nothing to occupy her thoughts. Her thoughts which strayed to the RV. It loomed like a crouching beast in her peripheral vision, squatting on her mind. She had always been able to compartmentalise, push unwanted thoughts to the back of her mind to concentrate on the task at hand but the RV, or rather its occupants, insisted on stubbornly thrusting its way to the front of her thoughts. She wanted him here now, to smirk at her in that sexy way and grunt something inappropriate that would make her laugh. Her chest clenched guiltily at the thought and she took a deep breath.

What had he done to her? She felt like she was tumbling down a very deep hole, Alice in Wonderland deep, and no amount of digging in her heels or scrabbling for grip was slowing her down. For the first time in a long time she felt vulnerable.

* * *

><p>Cassidy didn't go to the burial. She helped Lochie over there but she kept her distance. Daryl stood apart from the others and, unable to help herself, she watched him rather than the graves. He held himself apart from his companions, body tense and unwelcoming and his frown rigid. His frosty countenance and the quite obvious waves of hostility emanating from him kept the others from venturing too close but she could see that his anger was a mask. He was angry at what had happened, angry that he had almost died for nothing, angry that he had put a part of himself on display when he'd searched for the girl and now it had all come to nothing, but the pinched lines around his mouth and the tightness of his eyes betrayed his sadness. His stance was uninviting but he had flicked his piercing gaze briefly towards her. She hesitated. The moment was shattered when Lochie's hand touched her shoulder. Tears stained her cheeks. She put her arms around Cassidy in an unexpected hug. Unused to affection, Cassidy went rigid.<p>

"Did I hurt you?" Lochie asked, frowning at the blood seeping through her green shirt.

Dragging Lochie around had agitated her wound and it was bleeding fiercely now. Cassidy lifted the shirt, it was one of Daryl's and she felt a brief flicker of amusement at what he would say when he saw the mess she'd made of it. The wound had re-opened and she had strained it helping Lochie, made it much worse than it had originally been. Cassidy opened her mouth to wave off Lochie's flapping apologies but an argument interrupted. Dale and Shane were arguing nearby, their voices carrying conspicuously as T-Dog and Andrea collected the shovels they'd used to dig the graves.

"And what you think there really is a cure? That keeping walkers tied up in your barn is sensible?" Shane sneered, giving Dale a look of pure contempt.

"I don't know, but there must be someone somewhere working on it." Dale said calmly.

"So we just sit and wait for the magic fairy dust to make everything better?"

"Don't patronize me, the government must be doing something."

"You were there at the CDC, did it look like they were doing a good job? You think Hershel had the right idea, I suppose."

"Of course not. That was sick, but you didn't have to go in there shooting-"

"Make your mind up!"

"SHUT THE FUCK UP!"

They turned and gaped at Cassidy. Blood was smeared all over her from their tramp through the woods earlier and the wound to her ribs was a mess but her eyes were snapping fiercely and she was white with rage.

"Are you serious?" She hissed, her teeth clenched with pain. "You're having a philosophical debate now? Fucking idiots."

She let out a painful wheeze and Lochie took a hurried shuffling step towards her. She shrugged her off irritably.

"Take a look at that thing." She pointed at one of the once-again-dead walkers waiting to be burnt. "Doesn't look too healthy does it? It's missing a chunk of its chest that's why. Even if there is a cure, which I highly doubt, does it look like that guy is going to be back on his feet anytime soon?" She broke off when she succumbed to a coughing fit, blood smattering her hand as she heaved. "Whatever it is that makes walkers, it works on dead people. If you're bitten it kills you first. A cure might stop you from being infected, it won't bring the dead back to life."

She staggered slightly, the blood loss and her rage making her dizzy. She actually couldn't believe these people. Daryl had been leaning against a tree, puffing steadily on a cigarette and listening to the exchange without comment. Under the cover of the shade the tree provided he had watched Cassidy. Her wound was nasty and she was losing a lot of blood, but she wouldn't let any of them tend to her. He was disturbed by how much his gut hurt from watching her pain, he wanted to help her but something held him back. She shrugged Rick and Shane's concerned hands away from her and stamped off, her footsteps halting and unsteady but firm. Lochie eyed her worriedly but had sense enough not to follow. Carl's eyes were huge as he watched her depart. Daryl could feel himself weakening. He'd let her in, or she'd wiggled in, whoever was responsible didn't matter. The fact remained, he cared for her, worried about her, he felt sick to his stomach that she was hurting and hadn't come to him. He tossed his cigarette butt and crushed it beneath his boot heel. If he had been injured, would he have gone to her? Had he gone to her to seek comfort after Sophia?

The group had dispersed. Lochie was hovering looking lost and alone and very close to tears. The strong front she put forward had crumbled, the argument of mere moments ago forgotten. She looked like a puppy whose owner had kicked it for no reason. She stared disconsolately at the gap in the trees where Cassidy had disappeared, then around at the others. She saw Daryl and looked at him warily.

Eventually Daryl grabbed her by the elbow and helped her hobble back to the camp in silence. He felt the furtive looks she sent shooting his way but she held her tongue and he was grateful. She seated herself outside their tent, eyes fixed intently on the leafy distance as if she could will Cassidy to appear just by staring hard enough. A worried frown had creased her features and drawn down her brown over her eyes. Her bright grey eyes kept flickering down to Cassidy's blood still smeared on her hands and t-shirt.

He could have reassured her, reminded her that the redhead was perfectly capable of taking care of herself despite an injury and a blazing temper, but the words stuck in his throat. He could still see Sophia's distorted grey features emblazoned across his mind. He could feel the familiar anger bubbling beneath the surface. It was so easy to retreat behind the white hot rage searing his guts, to push everything else deep down and concentrate on his anger. It occurred to him that Cassidy was probably doing the same thing. Something crystallised in his chest and pricked through the anger. He could feel the need like an itch, like a junkie in need of a fix. He needed to talk to her, no he just needed to see her. Just laying eyes on her would ease the weight in his chest, still part of the tempest whirling in his head. He'd think about why later.

* * *

><p>She hadn't gone far. She'd done well disguising her tracks; there was no blood around to attract walkers and she'd barely left any marks on the ground at all, she walked silently, nimble as a dancer and light on her feet. She had left some trail, though. Either she wanted him to follow her, or her injury was worse than he'd thought. He found her by the quarry where he'd fallen, sitting on a fallen log and cursing fluently at the blood still seeping from her wound. She could make a sailor blush with some of the things coming out of her mouth.<p>

"If you're going to eat me, you better get on with it." She said flatly.

"We don't have time." He grunted, deliberately misinterpreting her comment.

She gave a slightly grimacing smile, her fingers clamped tightly over the wound. As he had hoped, the anger surging through him eased slightly, redirected at the daft girl disappearing into the woods to bleed to death. He clomped over to her and straddled the tree facing her wounded side. She hissed angrily at him as he shoved her hand out of the way. He skewered her with a glare. He peeled his shirt from her body. The wound was a little bit worse but not really dangerous, as long as they stopped the bleeding.

"I'm sorry." She said gruffly, not looking at him but staring straight ahead over the quarry. "About the girl. I know finding her meant a lot to you."

He didn't reply, working on washing her wound with the water he'd brought.

"I don't know why."

He hesitated for just a millisecond.

"I shoulda just left her out here to die? Not bothered lookin'?" He asked in a dangerously quiet voice.

"That wasn't what I said." She countered calmly, wincing as he probed the wound to test how deep it was.

She still wasn't looking at him, she seemed to find it easier to be intimate that way.

"I think you set yourself a goal. Being helpless isn't in your nature. Looking for the girl was something you could do, didn't matter that it was an impossible mission."

Daryl felt his anger resurfacing, boiling beneath his ribcage. She looked at him calmly, the vivid green of her eyes cutting a swathe through his fury. She seemed to expect him to explode, in fact she'd actually tensed in expectation of him striking her. But she wasn't trying to avoid whatever he was going to do. He could read her eyes, she thought that striking her would help him and she was willing to take it to do so. He had never hit a woman before and he didn't plan to now.

"She represented something to all of you." She said, relaxing a fraction. "If you could find her, anything was possible and it might not be as completely hopeless out there as you thought."

He didn't hold with psychology or psychiatry or whatever it was that involved fiddling with your brain, and he knew that she didn't either. She was making sense though, easing the storm in his breast with her calm sensible words. How did she do that? How did she know the right way to get to him? He tied his ruined shirt tightly around her ribs to stem the blood flow.

"I _am_ sorry." She said again.

She leaned sideways slightly, resting her head against his collarbone. Her solid heat spread warmth throughout his entire body, calming his roiling emotions. When had she become this? A beacon in the chaos. The contact was brief and she pulled away.

"I suppose we should go back." She sighed, pressing her fingertips to the wound delicately.

He got to his feet, extending his hand to help her but she'd already gotten up. She eyed the hand with something like amusement. She moved to walk past him but she staggered, the blood loss swooping through her head and making her dizzy. He caught her by the elbows, straightening her up and eyeing her critically. She took another step, wobbling only slightly and his hands went to her upper arms to steady her.

"What're you going to do, redneck? Carry me?"

She was almost taunting him and he scowled, momentarily forgetting why he felt so heavy and tense. By sheer stubborn will power she drew herself up. He let her walk unaided but he stayed close enough to catch her if she stumbled again. The heavy guilt descended again when they left the trees. She didn't say anything but she did put a hand on each of his shoulders, tipping up onto her tiptoes. He expected her to kiss him, that was what they usually did, instead she laid her cheek against his. It was a silent gesture of comfort, the kind a mother would give to her child. It bolstered him somewhat when he returned to the RV to find Carol gone.

Cassidy wandered back over to her tent. Lochie's eyes lit up with relief at the sight of her safe and sound, then she dropped them and jutted out her lip sulkily. Cassidy sighed. She sat down besides her.

"I'm sorry, kid." She said gently.

She extended an arm awkwardly, wrapping it around her shoulders. Lochie was so surprised she forgot to be annoyed with her.

* * *

><p>LadyLecter47 – I finally got my fix last night, he wasn't in it nearly enough though and now I have a whole week to wait until the next one. I think I'm going to tread very carefully, I don't like fics that just re-write episodes with their own character in it so I'm going to stay in the background for a while I think<p>

VileMalapert – I don't think an afternoon would be nearly long enough lol

undeadangel – thanks I hope you like this one too

Dalonega Noquisi – thank you very much :D


	18. Chapter 10

A/N: Don't own (although I'd love to have my very own Norman Reedus :D) don't sue!

Lyrics are from 'Rain' by Patty Griffin

**Rain**

**Chapter Ten**

It's hard to listen to a hard, hard heart  
>Beatin' close to mine<br>Poundin' up against the stone and steel  
>Walls that I won't climb<br>Sometimes a hurt is so deep, deep, deep  
>You think that you're gonna drown<br>Sometimes all I can do is weep, weep, weep  
>With all this rain fallin' down<br>Strange, how hard it rains now  
>Rows and rows of big dark clouds<br>When I'm holding on underneath this shroud  
>Rain<br>It's hard to know when to give up the fight  
>Some things you want will just never be right<br>It's never rained like it has tonight before  
>Now, I don't wanna beg you, baby<br>For something maybe you could never give  
>I'm not lookin' for the rest of your life<br>I just want another chance to live  
>Strange, how hard it rains now<br>Rows and rows of big dark clouds  
>When I'm holdin' on underneath this shroud<br>Rain

Cassidy was re-dressing her wounded ribs in the relative privacy of their tent when Lochie burst in, hobbling on a bit of wood T-Dog and Dale had fashioned into a makeshift walking stick for her.

"They're back." She said happily, coming to an abrupt halt when she stumbled across a half naked Cassidy.

"I'm thrilled." Cassidy muttered as she secured the fresh bandage, sounding as if she couldn't quite care less one way or the other.

"All of them. Lori too." Lochie clarified.

Cassidy reached for her bra. Pulling it on was painful but she gritted her teeth.

"I didn't notice she was gone." She said casually, shrugging into her hooded jumper.

Lochie gave her a very shrewd look. Cassidy noticed everything.

"She's pregnant." Lochie continued.

"I see." Cassidy could have cared less but Lochie's crush on Rick had clearly been affected by this development.

"You knew?"

Cassidy threw her a dark look.

"I'm not psychic."

Lochie studied her for a moment and then shrugged.

"How's the ribs?"

"Fine. How's the leg?"

She rolled her eyes, taking Cassidy's arm and lowering herself down onto her sleeping bag. Cassidy settled down cross-legged on her own sleeping bag and retrieved her rifle from its case. She spread the parts out evenly for cleaning.

"They had someone with them." Lochie muttered sleepily, struggling into her pyjamas from her awkward sitting position. "Had to chop off his leg."

Cassidy didn't comment. Another thing they'd all be arguing about. The sleeping bag rustled as Lochie tossed and turned, trying to get comfortable on her injured leg. Cassidy was very good at blocking out external distractions but even she had her limits. After a good hour she gave up.

"What's the problem?"

Lochie rolled over towards her, her hair sticking up in all directions, wrapped up in the sleeping bag like a baby. An irritable rumpled baby. There was a crease on her cheek where she'd been lying on the zip.

"Can't sleep." She said shortly, her voice slightly muffled by the layers around her chin.

"So I see." Cassidy swore as the oiled spring slipped from her fingers and bounced into the depths of the tent between them.

"I'm scared." Lochie said thoughtfully, as if she wasn't sure if that was actually true or not.

"Don't be." Cassidy said shortly, facedown in a pile of discarded clothing looking for the missing spring.

"I guess." The humour was back in Lochie's voice, even as she disappeared back into the sleeping bag. "Daryl will protect us."

Cassidy laughed. The sound was blessedly muffled amongst the clothes, as was her mutinous swearing.

"Daryl is having a breakdown at the moment." She observed as she finally clasped the tiny metal spring in her hand.

"He is pitching a major hissy fit." Lochie agreed.

"He's grieving." Cassidy sighed, struggling to disentangle herself from a stubborn pair of jeans amongst the pile of clothes.

Lochie's squeaks became a strangled choking noise as if she'd accidentally swallowed a hand grenade and she yanked the sleeping bag completely over her head. Cassidy finally managed to extricate her hand, glancing over her shoulder where, predictably, Daryl was looming looking thunderous.

"Finally decided to re-join civilisation then?" Cassidy commented cheerfully. "Well, what's left of it, anyway."

After a moment of stony silence and mutual glaring, Cassidy slid out of the tent. He stalked away immediately. She followed him back to where he had re-pitched his tent, trusting his steady footsteps in the dark. He sat down besides what was left of his small fire, glaring gloomily at it as if it were personally responsible for everything wrong with his life. There was no other seat so she sat down on the grass besides him, wrapping her arms around her knees.

"What did you do?" She finally asked when the silence had become so tense she could have bounced coins off of it.

He grunted.

"You're beating yourself up over something and it's not that kid."

He grunted again. She heard the soft scratching as he rubbed his calloused palms over his face. He mumbled something about Carol and she gathered that he'd bitten off her head and said some rather horrendous things to her. She sighed, leaning against his leg. He shifted a little and she edged over, positioning herself until he had a leg pressed against each of her shoulders. She felt his hands curling through her ponytail absently. He felt guilty but he wouldn't admit it. He felt bad about Sophia and he didn't know what to do about it. When his brother had gone missing he'd pulled out a gun, he couldn't do that now.

"Don't push them away."

He blinked down at her, a frown creasing his face in the darkness. She twisted around, leaning back against one leg and tipping her head against his knee so she could see him. His fingers were tangled in her hair. His jaw was set and his eyes were shadowed by the dying fire. She wasn't good at comfort. She'd always quashed her emotions down, dealt with them the same way she dealt with other annoyances, a necessary distraction. He had come to her for something. She studied him from beneath her lashes. The line of his stubbled jaw, the curve of his cheek and the glittering pools of his eyes. He could have been a statue, except for his hand still playing with her hair as if it was totally independent of his body. She could screw him, she mused, but she didn't think that was what he'd come to her for. She ran her finger along his jeaned thigh experimentally. His jaw clenched and he tipped his face down towards her. His face was expressionless.

"Would it help?" She murmured.

His hand tightened on her hair as he thought about it. She didn't really feel like it either but if it removed that forlorn shadow from his eyes…

She manoeuvred onto her knees, running her hands up the inside of each thigh. His hand slipped from her hair to rest on her shoulder, his thumb absently stroking her throat. He hadn't answered her. He watched the curve of her body as she moved, shifting sinuously to her feet and gliding onto his lap. His hands moved to her waist, sliding under the huge jumper in search of bare skin.

"I can distract you." She murmured into his hair, stroking her fingers through the hair at the nape of his neck. "If you want."

He seemed to be considering it, testing his body's capabilities when his chest was still complete chaos. Her hands crept into the neck of his shirt, her lips brushing against his cheek with a feather light touch. He had never experienced her being so gentle before, there was kindness and sympathy in every touch. What she couldn't express verbally she was conveying through her caresses. He felt a surge of something not quite desire but just as dangerous rushing through all of his extremities.

"We don't have to." She said quietly against his cheek.

He seriously considered it. She was straddling him after all, and he could feel that under the voluminous hoody she was quite naked. He felt weary all of a sudden. He was at a loss now that Sophia was gone and he had no purpose. All he wanted to do was be with someone who cared for him, just a little. She was looking down at him as he searched for something to say.

"Come on."

She slid down from his lap, yanking him to his feet and leading him into his tent. She pushed him down onto his bed, removing his boots for him. She punctuated each undone button on his shirt with a brief kiss on his exposed chest. He watched her slip out of her jeans and unzip the hoody, dropping them to one side. He still hadn't decided whether he wanted to or not. She crawled in besides him but made no further advances. She curled against him, warm and soft in the dark interior of the tent.

"Go to sleep, Dixon."

He rolled towards her, circling his arm around her slender waist and pulling her even closer. She tucked his head against her collarbone, her hand a comforting weight against his jawline. Had anyone told him he'd be lying like this with a beautiful girl almost half his age over a kid he hardly knew he probably would have knocked them on their ass, but it didn't feel like a sappy love scene. It felt like the comfort he had been to afraid to ask for.

* * *

><p>Cassidy awoke to a dull ache in her ribs and Daryl's warm hand splayed between her thighs. Apparently a good night's sleep had improved his mood to no end and she grinned. Her eyes were still closed but he seemed to have sensed her return to consciousness because he leaned over her. His mouth was warm and firm against her, as were other parts of his anatomy. He'd apparently spread shed his jeans while she was still asleep.<p>

"Is it morning?" She murmured against his lips between kisses.

"Pretty much."

She stretched luxuriously, rather hoping he'd put the hand now running over her bare waist back where she'd found it. Something had shifted between them again, she mused idly as they moved languorously amongst the sleeping bags, working slowly and sleepily. They had always come together for teasing and desire before, last night had been a step in a different direction and it had irrevocably altered whatever was between them.

It was very early, the camp was still silent as they rested breathlessly listening to the sounds of the farm coming to life in the distance. Cassidy drew her fingernail through the tiny puddle of sweat that had formed at his collarbone in the stifling heat of the tent.

"Better?" She asked lazily, tasting the sweat beading on his bare arm with the tip of her tongue.

He was about to reply, or maybe initiate round two, when a shadow darkened one wall of the tent. They froze, Daryl's hand edging towards his crossbow.

"Daryl?"

They relaxed at the sound of Carol's tentative voice and Cassidy rolled over in search of her clothes. She was zipping up the hoody as she exited the tent and Carol flushed faintly.

"I didn't mean to-"

"Don't worry about it." Cassidy flapped her hand. They stared at each other awkwardly for a moment, Daryl's muttered curses as he struggled with the zip on his jeans the only sound. "I'm sorry… about your girl." Cassidy finally said.

Carol looked at her in something like surprise.

"You didn't know my daughter." She said calmly, almost questioningly.

"No I didn't. I know how to lose someone, though." It came out a little defensively but Carol only nodded.

"Thank you."

Cassidy nodded too. They looked at each other again. She wondered vaguely what the older woman wanted from Daryl.

* * *

><p>"OK, what's with the looks?"<p>

Lochie jumped guiltily, burying her nose unconvincingly in the manual for the car Cassidy was trying to resurrect. Cassidy swiped the sweat from her brow and glared impatiently at Lochie. She'd been working on the car for the past few hours, Lochie seated on the grass a few feet away calling out things from the book as if they would actually help. She'd also been shooting her furtive puzzled looks once every few seconds since she'd returned from Daryl's tent that morning.

"Nothing. What looks? Huh?"

Cassidy rolled her eyes.

"You know, for a master thief, you're a terrible liar."

Lochie stuck her tongue out at her.

"I just… aren't you jealous?"

Cassidy blinked in surprise.

"About what?"

Lochie shrugged, fiddling with the corners of the manual.

"Daryl. Carol."

Cassidy snorted, shooting a glance at Carol in the distance.

"What do you think they're doing?"

Lochie glared stubbornly back at her.

"You don't share things." She pointed out as if explaining how one plus one equals two.

Cassidy sighed turning away from her friend's inquisitive grey eyes. She could explain that Carol was seeking comfort from the one person she trusted most out here, that Daryl was surprisingly good at soothing emotional wounds when he managed to keep his grumpy mouth shut, but she couldn't seem to squeeze the words out.

"So even if they were… you know-" Lochie gestured vaguely with her hands. "You wouldn't be jealous or annoyed or anything?"

Cassidy shrugged casually, ignoring the fire roiling in her belly at the thought.

"So you two are still just in it for sex. Nothing else. No pesky emotions. No hand holding in the moonlight. No swearing your undying love. No passionate embracing-" Lochie's teasing broke off when Daryl walked past her towards Cassidy. "OK, seriously, if you sneak up on girls you have to expect to overhear girly talk." She pointed out crossly to hide the colour burning in her cheeks.

Daryl looked genuinely puzzled, as if the concept of girly talk was infinitely foreign to him and probably something to be avoided at all costs. Cassidy bit back a laugh with some difficulty. He looked edgy and he didn't say a word to her. He didn't keep still either, pacing and smoking and glowering into the distance moodily. She left him to it. Working on the engine wasn't really doing anything except keeping her mind and hands occupied. The camp was still tense, things were boiling over between Shane and seemingly everybody else. Even as she thought it Shane went stomping past, Andrea running after him. She felt Daryl come to a halt besides her. Lori and Rick were arguing about something outside their tent.

"I will never understand what two perfectly good men see in that useless whining bint." Lochie said with unexpected venom.

Cassidy thoroughly agreed but she kept her mouth shut. Things were tense enough, it would only take a small spark for the whole place to burst into flames around them. Not that she cared particularly, but she didn't have the resources to get Lochie out of here with her busted leg. She was slipping. Carl bounded over with a huge grin on his face that made her laugh just looking at it.

"Hey kid, what's up?"

"My mom's pregnant." He announced proudly. "If it's a girl we're gonna call it Sophia."

"That's… something." Cassidy said with the best smile she could muster.

Personally she thought it was a little sick but he was just a kid. He clearly didn't grasp the complexities and dangers of a pregnancy and birth in today's lovely climate either.

"Will you show me some more moves?" He asked sweetly, batting his long eyelashes at her.

Now she really did laugh and he beamed at her. She struck a ridiculous kung fu pose and he mimicked it with one of his own, circling each other and glaring. After a moment Carl couldn't hold in his giggles any longer and he dropped the pose. He cocked his head, studying her carefully.

"You're going to be a good mom." He said seriously, his big blue eyes intent on hers.

Lochie, bent over with giggles, didn't know who looked more horrified, Daryl or Cassidy.

* * *

><p>LadyLecter47 – I was actually praying that she would get eaten all week, I knew she wouldn't but it was nice to live in hope between episodes lol hope you like the update :)<p>

undeadangel – no problem, you took the time to review so it's only fair :)

VileMalapert – thanks, it was pretty much how I figured Daryl would react, he's not the fluffy bunny feelings type really


	19. Chapter 11

A/N: Don't own (although I'd love to have my very own Norman Reedus :D) don't sue!

Lyrics are from 'Rain' by Patty Griffin

BEFORE ANYBODY GOES ON ABOUT PEOPLE STILL BEING ALIVE WHO SHOULDN'T BE, I'M AN EPISODE BEHIND YOU LOT SO NO SPOILERS PLEASE. THEY WILL NOT BE APPRECIATED OR RECEIVED WITH GOOD GRACE.

**Rain**

**Chapter Eleven**

It's hard to listen to a hard, hard heart  
>Beatin' close to mine<br>Poundin' up against the stone and steel  
>Walls that I won't climb<br>Sometimes a hurt is so deep, deep, deep  
>You think that you're gonna drown<br>Sometimes all I can do is weep, weep, weep  
>With all this rain fallin' down<br>Strange, how hard it rains now  
>Rows and rows of big dark clouds<br>When I'm holding on underneath this shroud  
>Rain<br>It's hard to know when to give up the fight  
>Some things you want will just never be right<br>It's never rained like it has tonight before  
>Now, I don't wanna beg you, baby<br>For something maybe you could never give  
>I'm not lookin' for the rest of your life<br>I just want another chance to live  
>Strange, how hard it rains now<br>Rows and rows of big dark clouds  
>When I'm holdin' on underneath this shroud<br>Rain

Lochie swore as she jerked the bandage around her leg accidentally. She was sitting with Carl in a patch of sun drawing on her bandages with marker pens. Daryl had erupted from the trees with his bow on his shoulder and a face like thunder. He'd been stomping around all day. After some general stalking around he loomed over her irritably.

"She went into town." She pre-empted him, eyes still fixed firmly on the face Carl was drawing near her knee.

"She what?" He demanded rudely. "After what happened to the A Team yesterday?" He gestured at Glenn and Rick nearby. "On her own?"

"Err, yeah." Lochie confirmed.

Daryl swore. Loudly. Carl looked astonished, and a little confused. Even Lochie frowned, trying to work out exactly how one would go about doing such a thing with a boot, even if it was admittedly rather sturdy.

"How long ago?" He demanded in an icily quiet voice

Lochie, sensing danger, kept her mouth shut. His scowl deepened and she felt Carl's small hand tighten on her calf. The sound of a car momentarily distracted them and Carl helped Lochie stagger to her feet, just in case. Cassidy emerged from the car with Shane, a bag full of something slung over her shoulder. The laughter on their faces faded when they were met by a row of frowning people. Andrea looked furious and she glared at Cassidy. Rick looked thoroughly baffled but Daryl's face was contorted with anger.

"There a problem?" Shane asked guardedly.

Daryl didn't even look at him, it was as if he hadn't even spoken. Sensing the upcoming explosion, the spectators dispersed to a safer distance.

"What's wrong with you?" Cassidy laughed.

Daryl glared, his face like stone and his blue eyes shooting sparks.

"You enjoy your road trip with the Deputy there?"

She blinked at him in surprise.

"I guess so." She examined him, taking in the red flush spreading over his chest and the death grip he had on the strap of his bow. "Why?"

"You disappeared into thin air, I thought you got bit or somethin'." He finally managed to get out.

She stared at him.

"I didn't realise I had to ask your permission to go about my business, Dixon."

"Do what the hell ya want. Just don't expect me to come after you." He yelled suddenly, his face pure white with rage under the grime. "I'm done chasin' after you people, you ain't got no sense between you."

"When have I ever asked for your help?" She asked calmly, although her hands had balled into fists at her sides.

"If you'd got attacked out there, who'd ya expect to look for ya? It ain't my job to clear up after ya'll."

"Bullshit." She snapped. "You've got your boxers in a bunch because I went with Shane."

He took an involuntary step towards her. She held her ground, glaring up at him challengingly. He had absolutely no idea why he was saying these things but they kept tumbling out of his mouth of their own accord.

"Do whatever you want with him, I don't give a shit."

For a moment she looked at him as if he'd slapped her. Her entire body went rigid, her face froze and then she seemed to draw herself into one tight ball before his eyes. He couldn't believe those words had just come out of his mouth. He half expected her to swing for him. He wouldn't have blamed her. Her lips had gone very thin, as though she was literally holding in the words she wanted to say. He eyed her as the silence stretched out, her eyes were sparkling strangely. Was she going to cry? If she had had the urge she quelled it because she merely drew in a deep breath.

"I see." The words hit him harder than her fist would have done. "Well. I guess there really isn't anything left to say then, is there."

He could have dealt with anger, violence, or even if she'd thrown that decidedly heavy-looking bag at him, but the calm coolness seeping out of her like a cold draught was literally painful. She dropped the bag to the ground, kicking it towards him. It rolled awkwardly and landed with a thunk by his boots. A packet of cigarettes jumped out and bounced into the grass. She gave him one last look, not a poisonous but more of a disappointed frown and walked away.

* * *

><p>Cassidy eyed the goings on warily from a distance, watching Rick and Shane gesture irritably, clearly arguing through clenched teeth. They'd invited her to stay before the whole Sophia debacle but the chain of events since appeared to have triggered a dangerous change in Rick. Since they'd gotten back from their adventure looking for Hershel, Cassidy half expected him to ask her to leave. Shane cursed loudly and marched away from Rick, so intent on his stomping that he passed right by her tent. She called out to him. He glowered at her but she took it in good grace.<p>

She settled back in her seat, tilting her chin so she could see him glowering down at her then she asked flat out if she would be expected to vacate their little paradise or not. He eyed her for a long time. Long enough to almost make her uncomfortable.

"You don't particularly care if I stay, do you?" She assessed shrewdly eventually. "I'm an asset, not a liability."

"You like Carl." He said bluntly, with the shadow of a grin. "You'd protect him."

"You're playing a dangerous game." She said, ignoring the implication. He blinked. "You're trying to get Rick to make those decisions, the kind no one should have to." She levelled him with a piercing look. "You're driving yourself out of the group, even though you know you'll never leave. Will that make it easier to go, if you make them hate you?"

They looked at each other in contemplative silence, then she turned back to patching her favourite jacket and Shane left to brood.

"What will you do if they ask us to leave?"

Daryl grunted at Lochie without shifting his gaze from the conversation taking place in the distance. While they still weren't speaking, he had not stopped his ceaseless watching. None of them seemed to realise how good Daryl was at observing people, he soaked everything in like a sponge. She had been true to her word; she hadn't said a single syllable to him since their argument the day before. She didn't even look at him either, whenever they were close by each other, her eyes slid straight past him as if he was nothing more than a tree blocking her way. It bothered him, how she could just ignore him after everything that had happened between them. He felt her absence like an itch beneath his skin. Maybe it was better this way. He realised Lochie was staring at him expectantly and he shrugged.

"That's it? You'd just let her leave?" She said incredulously, her eyebrows flying up in her hair.

He shrugged again since his voice seemed to have deserted him as he watched Shane walk away from her. He didn't actually think she was doing anything with Shane, not the kinds of things she'd done with him anyway. Still it made him uncomfortable when the idea twisted his stomach into an iron ball of jealousy. What did he care what she did with Shane in the back of that stupid little car?

"You wouldn't even ask her to stay?" Lochie continued in a voice that was rapidly slipping from shocked to tetchy.

Daryl, not picking up on the approaching danger, grunted and removed his gaze from the redhead who still wasn't looking over at them. Lochie had scrambled to her feet and was lazering the full force of her grey-eyed glare between his eyes as if she could actually bore a hole into his brain to find the answers she wanted.

"You coward!" She practically shrieked.

He looked at narrowly, half annoyed and half surprised. Glenn was the only other person nearby and he sensibly scuttled for cover.

"After everything that's happened, everything that's going on… you won't even-" She had to break off because she seemed to have run out of air, her chest was heaving as anger swallowed her oxygen. "You idiot. What if she had been bitten? What if she'd gone out there with Shane and something had happened?" She leaned closer to him and her anger was rising off of her in waves. "What if she was wandering around out there as one of those-"

"They're just shells. They ain't people no more." He interrupted before she could get into her full stride.

"How do you know that?" She hissed, quite carried away beyond rationality.

"If she'd been bitten do you think she'd still bite her lip when she finds summat funny? Or fiddle with her hair when she's thinkin'? Or squint when she's tryin' not to laugh? Play with her earrings when she's cookin' up some stupid plan? She wouldn't do none of that if she'd been bit. It wouldn't be her."

Lochie was reeling. She looked as if he'd struck her and in fact she probably would have been less surprised if he had done. It didn't occur to her that Daryl could list off a dozen of her own little quirks, or anyone else from the camp. Observing people was a part of survival and if there was one thing Daryl Dixon could do, it was survive. But Lochie didn't know any of that and the conclusion she came to was the only one available to her. As far as she was concerned the scruffy sulky redneck slouching moodily in the seat before her, had just declared his secret love for her best friend. For a moment all of her anger fled and she merely gawped at him with a goofy grin spread across her face. Daryl had been peering at Cassidy again and it took him a moment to spot that he'd clearly made a mistake somewhere. He looked at her warily, very concerned that she might throw her arms around him and hug him since the glint her eye was indicating her urge to do just that. After a moment of silence where he glared at her in confusion and she beamed at him happily, the grin slipped from her face and her brow clouded over again.

"You idiot!" She snapped with far more venom before.

Daryl was at a complete loss. Women!

"You feel that way and you'd still let us be kicked out to the wolves?"

Daryl had no idea but he had managed to grasp that when a woman speaks that way through gritted teeth, it's best to make your escape before they start throwing things.

"The two of you are perfect for each other. You're both stubborn, stupid and childish. Well if you're both determined to be miserable, I'm going to leave you to it."

Lochie thrust her nose in the air and stormed off. Daryl watched her go, confused but quite glad that it was over without any actual violence eing bestowed upon his person. He rubbed his palm over his head tiredly. Talking to Lochie always gave him a headache. He frowned when he realised that Cassidy had disappeared while he'd been verbally getting his ass kicked. He cast a look around the camp, she was the only one who could successfully sneak up on him. She wasn't around. She could be doing that daft stretching business by the house, or showing Carl some more defence moves, _or showing Shane some rather impressive moves in the back of that car_ a little voice chirped gleefully at the back of his mind. Any moves in that tiny car would be impressive he mused irritably to escape the heat suddenly burning in his belly.

"I don't care where she is." He muttered to himself grumpily.

"Where who is?" Carl asked curiously as he dragged a sack full of firewood past him.

"No one." Daryl snarled, annoyed to have been caught off guard.

"If you're looking for Cassidy, she's helping Dale and T-Dog wash the RV."

"Wash it? What for?" He snorted in amusement.

"Because there's no good car washes about anymore." Carl said innocently, giving him a sweet blue-eyed stare that he had most definitely learnt from Lochie.

Daryl did his very best not to grin at the kid. He knew for a fact that Cassidy was almost entirely responsible for teaching him sarcasm. He tried not to think about the sharp needle that had jabbed him at her words emerging from someone else's mouth.

"She said to tell you that she borrowed one of your shirts." Carl went on, unpacking the logs out of the sack into a neat pile. "The red and black one."

That was his favourite shirt the little wench. More than that, it was an excuse to talk to her again. He found them scrubbing the soapy RV, Dale spraying the tyres with a hose and T-Dog working on the blood and gore that had worked its way into every nook and cranny. Cassidy was kneeling on the roof of the car she'd been working on, scrubbing the windscreen of the RV with a soapy sponge. He frowned when he realised she was wearing a black sleeveless top over the old white shorts. Her hair was pulled back in a French braid and flecked with suds. He grunted when he recognised that what he had first taken to be a sponge was in fact his favourite shirt being used to scrub walker guts off the huge windscreen. In today's climate, with its total lack of available clothing, that was way below the belt. He swore.

"Dixon." She said coolly without looking at him, although she did scrub a little harder at a stubborn patch of blood.

"What the hell are you doing?" He grumbled, not entirely displeased by the fact that from this angle he could see right up her shorts.

"Well I'm washing off this crap." She said slowly. "I'd explain it better but it gets a little technical."

"That's my shirt." He pointed out.

She finally looked at him and there was a tiny flutter in his chest, something that did not improve his mood any.

"You left it in my tent." She countered smoothly.

He felt heat crawl up his cheeks. He could remember in great detail exactly what had happened the last time he'd been wearing that shirt, and the circumstances that had led to it being discarded in her tent. He could tell from her lowered lashes and the smirk tugging at the corner of her mouth that she remembered it too. T-Dog was determinedly scrubbing at the RV without looking at either of them, the rag squeaking across the side. Daryl frowned, contemplating yanking her down off that roof and throwing her over his shoulder. As usual her lips curled as if she could read exactly what he was thinking, one hand still absently rubbing his shirt in a small circle on the glass. Daryl felt his hands actually twitching as he calculated how best to reach her. Low voices distracted him and he glanced over his shoulder irritably. Andrea stalked past followed by Lori. Andrea ignored all of them and stomped off with a dark look at Lori. Lori sighed, scrubbing her hands over her face tiredly.

"What's happened?" Dale asked wearily, still peering at Andrea's departing back.

Lori hesitated for a moment and then told them what had happened with Beth.

"Who's Beth?" Cassidy murmured out of the corner of her mouth at Daryl.

"Little blonde thing." He muttered back.

She cast him a dark look that he felt he didn't entirely deserve but she'd turned back to Lori before he could catch her eye. A tense silence followed but Daryl had lost interest, the kid was alive wasn't she what was the problem? Cassidy seemed to be thinking along the same lines because she'd returned to the window. Andrea re-appeared looking sulky and defiant as Dale touched her shoulder. She shrugged him off.

"I'm not saying you did the right thing." Lori said as if they were continuing their conversation from earlier without an interruption. "But at least…"

It passed unsaid that at least they didn't have to worry about a suicidal teenager running around. Dale was looking very hard at Andrea who was just as determinedly looking the other way.

"I'm not going to defend myself." She said defensively. "I did what had to be done."

"People seem to be saying that a lot lately." Dale murmured darkly, exchanging a look with Lori.

Andrea glared at them, zoning in on the one person not looking at her. Cassidy. Sensing the blonde's searing gaze, she lifted her head and looked down at her impassively.

"Don't you judge me." Andrea snapped. "I'm sure they've told you all about me. About the CDC. You don't know anything about me. You don't know what I've been through, my sister-" She broke off, looking as if she might cry.

Cassidy stared back at her impassively although Daryl could see the muscles in her shoulders were coiled with tension. He waited, wondering if she'd tell them about her own sister.

"No. I don't." Cassidy agreed and despite her perfectly steady voice, she'd gone wretchedly pale. "And you know what?" She leaned towards Andrea who took an involuntary step back. "Likewise."

Andrea looked startled for a moment and then she shrugged, flouncing off away from them. Daryl let out the breath he hadn't realised he'd been holding. Of course not, she would never share something so personal with them. She'd told him, though. He felt his guts start to churn again. Guilt. He felt guilty. The fun appeared to have gone out of the day for her because Cassidy slid down off the roof of the car and walked away from them.

Daryl took a step to go after her and then he paused. What would he say? The word "sorry" wasn't in his vocabulary. She probably didn't want him to go after her anyway. He scrubbed his hands back through his hair. When did things become so complicated?

* * *

><p>He found her sitting on the swing she'd built with Glenn and T-Dog. She wasn't swinging just sitting barefoot, digging her toes into the grass beneath her. Her face was pink and a little swollen, as if she'd been crying. He'd never imagined her as the crying type and the thought of it floored him now. He felt the flicker of guilt in his spine flare up. She didn't look up at him but he knew she'd registered his silent arrival because her hands tightened infinitesimally on the ropes holding the wooden seat up.<p>

"I'd look for ya."

Whatever she'd been expecting, that wasn't it, because she shook a little as if she shivered and then she looked up. As sappy as it was, he felt a little thrill that he'd managed to make her smile.

"What?"

He shrugged, scratching at his stubbled chin in embarrassment. He actually couldn't believe he was in this position. What had he turned into?

"If you went missin'." He clarified quietly. "I'd… ya know-"

"Look for me." She concluded, looking partly amused and partly as if she was dying to roll her eyes. "Thanks, redneck. I feel safer."

He snorted despite himself.

"But not if you went missing with Shane." He added as an afterthought.

She frowned, looking up at him with her head on one side.

"Not if I-"

"Not if you were with Shane when ya went missin'." He repeated firmly.

She looked irritated for a second and then her mouth twisted and she laughed.

"You're such a girl, Dixon." She sighed with a grim smile, pushing against the ground with her toes until the swing moved.

"You okay?" He asked awkwardly.

She nodded without looking at him and her smile had disappeared.

"Of course." He could hear the swishing noise of the swing as it cut through the air, feel the breeze rolling over his face. "I didn't sleep with him, you know."

He tried to say he didn't care but all that came out was, "Would you?"

He didn't like how long it took her to answer, she seemed to be seriously considering the concept. They had never discussed what they were or what they were doing when they were doing it, he could hardly be jealous if she took a look at someone else. An apocalypse was hardly the time to become attached to somebody.

"I don't think so." She said seriously once she was done mulling it over. "He's not really my type."

He muttered something and she lifted her head to look at him.

"You asked." She pointed out when he glared at her. "I've never lied to you yet, redneck."

"Really, Cassidy?" He let the name roll off his tongue until her cheeks darkened.

"I never lied about my name." She snapped defensively. "I introduced myself as Cassidy, no one asked for my name and that was the one I offered."

"Semantics." He said triumphantly, quite enjoying the look on her face when he threw one of her own arguments back at her. He wasn't entirely sure what it meant but it seemed appropriate enough and the way her eyes sparkled indicated he'd scored a direct hit.

"That's cute."

She'd coaxed the swing into full movement and he watched her swing out towards him and then push back away. She built up enough speed to glide to her feet in one confident practised move that gave him a brief flash of what she must have been like as a small girl, all gawky limbs and fearlessness.

"If you wanted to know my real name, all you had to do was ask."

He eyed her doubtfully but she looked serious enough as she let the swing slow down beneath her.

"Are you asking?" She prompted when he continued to squint at her in that adorable way he had, cocking his head to one side and peering at her from under his lashes.

He stepped forward suddenly, grabbing the swing and jerking it to a stop. She was breathless but he didn't think it had anything to do with the exercise. His hands were gripping the rope just below hers and she was almost a head above him in her current position.

"Are you going to tell?" He asked quietly, reaching for her braid trailing over one shoulder.

He still marvelled at how she didn't move an inch, didn't flinch or tense up when he made a sudden movement. She trusted him. He tugged the tie from the end of her braid and unravelled her hair, running his fingers through the tangled locks.

"I'll tell if you ask." She taunted, leaning over him until her hair rippled into a curtain separating the two of them from the rest of the world.

He grunted disbelievingly and she grinned.

"You'd really tell me the big secret of ya real name?" He said doubtfully.

She drew back from him.

"My name isn't a big secret." She contradicted.

"No one knows it." He pointed out.

"No one ever asked." She reminded him haughtily. "What's the matter, don't you want to know it if it isn't a big secret?" She teased.

He grabbed hold of her shirt, twisting his hand into a fist and yanking her towards him. She uttered a startled cry and almost tumbled off the swing. She glared but he knew from experience that she liked it when he played a little rough.

"I'd tell you. Of course I'll make you work for it first." She leaned in so close that her nose brushed against his cheek. "Every. Single. Syllable." She breathed each word into his ear until he felt a shiver trace up his spine. "Seven letters. Three syllables. How are you going to earn them, redneck?"

He grinned, feeling absurdly pleased that she was talking to him again, no apology required.

* * *

><p><strong>LadyLecter47<strong> – I waited all week, an extra day and a half because my box didn't record the episode, and there wasn't even an inch of Daryl to be seen. Just cruel. Hope you like this one too :)

**SaraLostInes** – I really don't get it, it's not even jealousy or anything I just don't understand what is so attractive about that character!

**undeadangel** – definitely :)

**Synvara** – she needs a good punch which she might definitely get in future chapters but I don't know about killing her off, Rick and Carl would be very upset lol

**vexingvixen7** – lol glad you liked it, hope you enjoy this too

**VileMalapert** – he needs love, he really does bless him

**Dalonega Noquisi** – thanks a lot :D I'm trying to write it how Daryl might actually do it rather than turning him into some hugely romantic entirely unrealistic version of Daryl Dixon. I think I'm getting there, sort of lol

**Angel Reckless** – thanks very much I appreciate it :)

**Lee Mayfair** - :)

**eloquent dreams** – thanks I do try and get it as realistic as I can, to be honest I intently dislike Lori and I usually skip through her scenes out of sheer irritation so I haven't got quite a good grasp on her character yet.


	20. Chapter 12

A/N: Don't own (although I'd love to have my very own Norman Reedus :D) don't sue!

Lyrics are from 'Rain' by Patty Griffin

**Rain**

**Chapter Twelve**

It's hard to listen to a hard, hard heart  
>Beatin' close to mine<br>Poundin' up against the stone and steel  
>Walls that I won't climb<br>Sometimes a hurt is so deep, deep, deep  
>You think that you're gonna drown<br>Sometimes all I can do is weep, weep, weep  
>With all this rain fallin' down<br>Strange, how hard it rains now  
>Rows and rows of big dark clouds<br>When I'm holding on underneath this shroud  
>Rain<br>It's hard to know when to give up the fight  
>Some things you want will just never be right<br>It's never rained like it has tonight before  
>Now, I don't wanna beg you, baby<br>For something maybe you could never give  
>I'm not lookin' for the rest of your life<br>I just want another chance to live  
>Strange, how hard it rains now<br>Rows and rows of big dark clouds  
>When I'm holdin' on underneath this shroud<br>Rain

"Jessica. Jessica. Jess-i-ca."

"You can stop saying it now." Cassidy pointed out, although she sounded more than a little amused.

"Jessica." Daryl repeated as if she hadn't spoken. "Sounds like a rich girl's name."

Cassidy snorted, winding her long damp hair around her fist and shoving it over her head out of her way. It was stiflingly hot in the tent, the interior muggy and heavy with sweat and sex.

"Really? Not a farm girl name? Or a sweet country girl with huge boobs?"

Daryl shot her a look and she laughed. To free up some room amongst the tangled sweaty sleeping bags, blankets and discarded clothes, she'd propped her feet up against the side of the tent and she could feel the heat of the sun beaming through the flimsy material. Daryl watched a trickle of sweat work its way down her bare thigh.

"Are you going to start calling me by my name?" She asked curiously.

"Maybe." He grunted, his fingertips drawing lazy circles on her sweat-beaded navel.

"I like the way you say it." She said thoughtfully and he cracked open an eye to peep at her. "It sounds different." She wasn't looking at him, she was gazing intently at the chipped polish on her toenails. "I haven't heard anyone use my real name since I left England. We say it differently over there, emphasise the 'ca' and lengthen out the 'ss'."

He said it again, tasting the syllables on his tongue and rolling them around his mouth experimentally.

"OK, you're giving me goosebumps. Stop it." She ordered with a delicate shiver.

"Jessica." He repeated stubbornly and she rolled her eyes.

"I'm warning you, redneck-"

"Jessica."

"It's not funny-"

"Jessica."

"I mean it."

He opened his mouth and she clapped her hand over it with a loud smack and a sharp glare. She could feel his smirk against her skin, felt it when his lips parted and his tongue darted out to trace the lines on her palm. She shivered again. His eyes were glittering wickedly. The hand that had been on her stomach danced across her bare hip and caught her up against him, rolling her on top of him.

"How could you possibly have any energy left?" She grumbled, flicking his sweaty hair off his damp forehead. "You know, I think you know more about me than anyone else in this country." She mused thoughtfully, propping her folded arms on his chest.

His brow furrowed as he watched her. Cassidy always met his gaze boldly but her eyes had slid to one side now and she looked almost shy.

"You know my real name, my birthday, what I do, where I live, my sister…" She trailed off, worrying her bottom lip between her teeth. "Huh." She finished weakly.

Daryl didn't answer, he had the feeling she was thinking about more than just the facts she was reeling off. He examined her closely. Maybe she was right. Everything he knew from observing people he filed away at the back of his mind. He couldn't help picking things up that's just how he was, but maybe he did know her. He knew that she hated strawberries but she liked strawberry flavoured stuff, that she tapped her fingernails to a song when she got it stuck in her head, that Carl and Lochie were the only people who made her genuinely smile with pleasure, that Glenn made her laugh, that her eyes lit up when she was thinking about something that tickled her, that she would always sit with one leg pulled under her, that her eyes softened when they sat like this and she didn't seem to realise it, that her hands had started to tremble when he touched her. He'd picked all of this up without realising it. Maybe Lochie was right.

"Still with me?"

He blinked, focusing back in on her smirking at him.

"You left the planet for a while there." She grinned at him. "You looked more spaced out than usual." She taunted.

He grimaced and she sighed, drawing her fingertip along the length of his nose and tracing the curve of his lip.

"I think we're in trouble, here." She said quietly.

He didn't reply, her eyes were sad and he could feel her heart thumping steadily against his chest. He didn't want to ask what she meant and he knew her well enough by now to realise that she didn't want to talk about it either. She said things that needed to be said. That's just how she was. He'd never met anyone who connected with him so well, even when they were both silent.

"You're not going to get all mushy on me, are you?" She said suddenly, her chin propped up on her arms as she peered at him.

That was another thing he liked about the little wench; whenever things seemed to be getting even the slightest bit romantic, she managed to thoroughly ruin the moment before it could quite get started.

* * *

><p>"I want to talk to you."<p>

Cassidy swore as she caught her hand on something sharp, startled by Lori's unexpected approach. She smacked her head on the bonnet of the car for good measure too. Still cursing she lifted a hand to shove her fringe off her forehead, squinting against the sun.

"Excuse me?"

Lori frowned irritably and repeated her previous statement through a forced smile. Cassidy continued to stare at her suspiciously until Lori crossed her arms over her chest and eyed her defensively.

"Well? Can I talk to you?" She asked again, shooting a furtive glance around to see who was watching. "There's something I need to ask you."

Cassidy finally straightened up, wiping her greasy hands on her shorts and leaving black streaks on her thighs. She still hadn't gotten the stupid thing to start yet.

"You want to ask me a favour?" Cassidy said slowly as if she didn't understand the question.

"Yes." Lori could hardly get the words out through her tightly pinched lips.

There was a loud clatter and then Lochie's head emerged from the backseat of the car, thrust through the open window curiously. She looked from Lori to Cassidy and back again.

"You want to ask me a favour?" Cassidy repeated again, her voice practically dripping with disbelief.

"You heard her." Lochie chipped in disapprovingly. "What are you high?"

"I wish." Cassidy muttered, shooting her a dark look. "Fine."

Lori glanced at Lochie who was still leaning out of the window and looking at them both with absolutely no intention of leaving them alone. Cassidy jerked her head at Lori and they walked a few feet away towards the trees.

"You heard I'm-" Lori broke off awkwardly.

"Up the duff? In the family way? Knocked up?"

"Yes." Lori snapped tetchily. "I know it's going to be dangerous. I know I might not make it."

Cassidy glanced over Lori's shoulder impatiently, not entirely sure why she was suddenly getting all chummy with her and not impressed at the over reaction. As if women hadn't been giving birth without epidurals for thousands of years.

"I want to make sure you'll take care of Carl."

Cassidy blinked in surprise, completely taken aback.

"What?"

Lori looked irritated now, as if she figured Cassidy was too smart to be playing dumb right now.

"If something happens to me, I want you to make sure my son doesn't die out here."

"Isn't that something your husband would be doing?" Cassidy pointed out.

"I know he will, he'd die for Carl. He'd kill for him." Lori's voice took on a darker intonation that Cassidy guessed was something to do with the stuff that had been going on lately. "But if something happened to me…"

Cassidy sighed and waved a hand at Lori before the blubbing started. She got the point, if Lori croaked because of her own stupidity Rick would probably be a gibbering wreck for a while. Ick.

"Why aren't you asking Shane? If you ask me he'd be perfectly willing to kill someone for your son."

Lori looked up sharply, a flicker of unease flashed over her face.

"Shane would do whatever it takes." She admitted. She levelled her gaze at Cassidy and she had the uncomfortable feeling that this was actually painful for Lori. "I'm not asking you to babysit my son, just…" She struggled for words for a moment. "You're more likely to survive than any of us… except maybe Daryl. I've seen Carl when you're teaching him those moves-"

"The moves you didn't want me to teach him." Cassidy pointed out.

"I know. You can't blame me for worrying." Lori snapped.

"I'm confused." Cassidy said shortly, folding her arms and staring hard at Lori. "What is it you want me to do?"

"I know you like Carl." Lori said bluntly. "And I know he likes you." When the flattering clearly didn't impress her, Lori sighed. "He trusts you, and Daryl."

"You don't."

Lori shifted uneasily.

"I think if it came to it, you wouldn't let my son be killed by walkers."

Cassidy opened her mouth but the words wouldn't come out. She'd spent a lot of time with Carl, he was one of only three people who ever voluntarily sought out her company and who seemed to genuinely enjoy spending time with her.

"I just need to know that there's someone looking out for him, in case the worst happens."

"I think everyone in the camp would volunteer for that duty." Cassidy grumbled, unwilling to commit herself to someone else's burden, no matter how much she liked the little brat.

"It would make me feel better." Lori pleaded.

"Well I live to provide your comfort."

Lori glared.

"If anything happens to Rick or me, Carl will be safer with you and Daryl." She said patiently.

"Me and Daryl?" Cassidy repeated in surprise.

No one had ever linked them that way before, as if it was so obvious what the two of them were to each other, so casually tossed it out there. She swallowed past the lump in her throat. Lori had completely thrown her off. The brunette seemed to take her silence as consent and she tactfully withdrew.

* * *

><p>"What about Bucky?"<p>

Lochie scrunched up her nose and shook her head.

"I'm rather partial to Brenda." She suggested thoughtfully, squinting at Carl's freckled hand lying on her knee.

"Buzz." Carl announced triumphantly.

Lochie laughed, cocking her head so she could examine the pattern she'd drawn on his fingernail closely.

"Geraldine."

Carl frowned, obediently switching hands so she could work on the nails of his left hand.

"Rex."

Lochie shook her head, impatiently brushing a stray lock of hair out of her way.

"Sounds like a dog. Or a dinosaur. Bertha."

Carl giggled, struggling to straighten his face when Lochie frowned at him for making her smudge.

"Hunter."

"I like it. It's blunt. To the point. Bit obvious." Lochie grinned. "That says Daryl Dixon all over."

Carl stopped laughing although he couldn't quite wipe the grin from his face as Daryl stumped into view with his bow on his shoulder. He spoke with the rest of them briefly and then continued on his way towards them. Lochie rolled her eyes, the problem with Daryl being so good at being stealthy was how easily he overhead conversations he shouldn't know about.

"What's so funny?" He growled as the two of them giggled again at the sight of him.

Cassidy had been sunbathing a few feet away, her top and shorts rolled up as far as they would go and still preserve her dignity, and she rolled over onto her back to look at him.

"They're arguing over what to name your bow." She indicated the crossbow. "Young Carl here seems to favour the more masculine, rather butch, names. Whereas Lochie seems to think it should be given a girl's name like a car."

Daryl turned puce. Lochie and Carl were staring intently at their hands rather than meet his blazing eyes. Cassidy merely looked amused. When you managed to push the 'might get eaten alive or ripped apart at any moment' factor to the back of your mind, survival in an apocalypse was pretty boring. Especially if you were an eight year old kid or a twenty year old thief with the attention span of a goldfish.

"Hey guys." Glenn chirped before Daryl could actually strangle Lochie.

"What's that?" She asked immediately, reaching up and snagging the folded newspapers from under Glenn's arm.

"Stuffing for the fire." Glenn said cheerfully, sweeping his hat from his head and scratching his sweating scalp.

"What are you doin'?" Daryl demanded when Lochie began rifling intently through the pages.

"Looking for my horoscope." She muttered.

Glenn stared at her. Daryl looked from her to Cassidy as if the redhead would actually offer some polite explanation for her friend's behaviour. Lochie seemed to find the right page because she pored over the tiny print.

"Those are a few months old, you know." Glenn pointed out.

"So if it mentions the end of the world, or the likelihood of you becoming a fast food snack, or ending up squatting on a farm halfway up the back end of beyond then I'll officially take back anything negative I ever said about all your mystical junk." Cassidy said lazily.

She was about to roll back over when she glimpsed the blood on his hands. He returned her accusing look with a blank one of his own so she followed him to his tent.

"I take it you didn't get that from shaving."

She propped one shoulder up against a tree and watched him swing down his bow and clean the blood from his hands.

"Needed answers." He grunted.

He was alternating between glaring at her defiantly and avoiding her eye. Eventually she dragged his pack towards her, digging out the small bottle of alcohol and an almost clean rag. She yanked his hand between hers, wiping the alcohol over his cuts with a little more force than was necessary. He didn't flinch.

"You got a problem with what I did?" He challenged and she could feel the heat of his gaze boring a hole into the top of her head.

"I don't know what you did." She replied calmly.

He grunted. He didn't really need her to do anything about his hands but he wasn't going to protest. Even after everything that had happened she still had soft gentle hands.

"I don't care what you did to him." She said suddenly, lifting her head enough to meet his gaze calmly. "I care that they had you do it."

He squinted at her in silence.

"Did you volunteer? Did they ask?" Her voice wasn't entirely reproachful. "Or did they all just assume?"

He kept his silence, his frown deepening.

"I don't care that you did it and I don't care that you're capable of doing it."

She still had hold of his hand even though she'd finished cleaning it. She looked at him for a long time then she let go of his hand.

"You're a good guy, Dixon." She punched his shoulder and he snorted. "But don't tell anyone I said that."

"Are you gonna go?" He asked suddenly, catching her off guard.

"Why? Alive he's a threat." She turned away from him, putting a few steps between them. "I suppose they'll want you to take care of that, too."

"No. Rick-" He broke off awkwardly, it was hard to put Rick's sense of honour into words.

"If they knew what I was, they'd want me to do it." She said thoughtfully, almost coldly.

"What you are." He repeated in a voice she couldn't quite decipher. They hadn't actually discussed what she used to do for a living, but he wasn't stupid.

She shrugged it off.

"It doesn't matter."

On her way back to the camp she almost flattened Rick in her distracted state.

"Sorry, Sheriff." She muttered.

"No problem. Have you seen Carl?"

She shook her head. Truthfully she'd been avoiding Rick because she didn't want to talk about their current crisis. It was none of her business and that's how she wanted it to stay.

"Are you coming tonight?" He asked almost immediately, frowning when she shook her head.

He had dark marks under his eyes and his cheeks had a hollowed out a little, he looked tired. Deathly tired.

"Do you think we're doing the right thing?"

She looked at him for a long time.

"You don't need me to reassure you that you're making the right decision." She finally said, in a tone that she hoped would end the conversation. He continued to look at her.

"It's a chance for everyone to-"

"Rick." She interrupted, annoyed that everything had to be a four-ring-freaking-circus around here. "They don't care about giving you their opinions, you're in charge and they're all more than happy to shift the responsibility onto you. So no, I'm not coming to the meeting. I'm not going to sit there and talk myself out of feeling guilty for doing what needs to be done. He's a problem that needs taking care of. Dithering around ain't gonna solve the problem." It didn't occur to her that she sounded like Daryl. "The difference between us Rick, is that I don't feel guilty about it."

He looked a little stunned, and slightly horrified, so she put a hand on his arm in what she hoped was a comforting manner.

"Maybe that's why you're their leader." She said softly. "You're a better person than I am, Rick. Don't doubt yourself." She gave herself a little shake. "OK, I think that's enough sappy for one day. I'm going to go find Andrea for a nice little argument before I officially cross over into 'lame'."

Rick's lips twitched.

"That's better. You real purty when you smile, darlin'." She put on the worst accent she could conjure up until he laughed. "Uh oh."

She indicated over his shoulder where Lori was approaching with a face like thunder.

"Time to beat a hasty retreat." She called over her shoulder as she darted away.

* * *

><p><strong>LadyLecter47<strong> – thoroughly enjoyed the episode finally, lots of Daryl goodness yay hope you like it

**VileMalapert** – glad you liked it, who could ever stay mad at Daryl?

**undeadangel** – that's how we spell tyres in England :)

**Dalonega Noquisi** – extra cookies for you! It's the first time I've used my actual name in a fic, I used to hate it but I quite like it now :) hope you like this chapter just as much!

**vexingvixen7** – I still love Carl even if he is being a bit bratty, I really hope they don't kill him off :( glad you liked it


	21. Chapter 13

A/N: Don't own (although I'd love to have my very own Norman Reedus :D) don't sue!

Lyrics are from 'Rain' by Patty Griffin

I haven't decided what I'm going to do between seasons yet, I think I'll keep it going but I'm going to have to be very careful. We'll just see how it pans out after I've seen the finale.

**Rain**

**Chapter Thirteen**

It's hard to listen to a hard, hard heart  
>Beatin' close to mine<br>Poundin' up against the stone and steel  
>Walls that I won't climb<br>Sometimes a hurt is so deep, deep, deep  
>You think that you're gonna drown<br>Sometimes all I can do is weep, weep, weep  
>With all this rain fallin' down<br>Strange, how hard it rains now  
>Rows and rows of big dark clouds<br>When I'm holding on underneath this shroud  
>Rain<br>It's hard to know when to give up the fight  
>Some things you want will just never be right<br>It's never rained like it has tonight before  
>Now, I don't wanna beg you, baby<br>For something maybe you could never give  
>I'm not lookin' for the rest of your life<br>I just want another chance to live  
>Strange, how hard it rains now<br>Rows and rows of big dark clouds  
>When I'm holdin' on underneath this shroud<br>Rain

"How do you think it's going?"

Cassidy flicked a glance at the house in the distance. They were having 'the big meeting' to decide about Randall. Like sitting there talking about it was going to change a thing. They had been asked to attend by Dale and both refused. Lochie because she couldn't make her own mind up and Cassidy because she didn't see the point.

"Lochie. I want to talk to you."

Lochie's grin slipped when she saw the serious look on Cassidy's face. She finished folding the shirt in her lap and put it to one side. They were completely alone, everyone was up at the house. Cassidy settled down cross-legged on the grass opposite her since her leg was still tender.

"You're not pregnant, are you?" She asked in an 'I'm joking but not really joking' voice.

"Of course not." Cassidy gave her a sharp look. "I'm serious here."

"Okay, I'll behave." Lochie managed to straighten out her expression, seized by the sudden urge to giggle with nerves.

"Now. Don't freak out-"

"Oh my God you've been bitten!" Lochie practically shrieked and Cassidy hurriedly clapped a hand over her mouth.

"Don't be so stupid." Cassidy snapped. "I'm trying to have a serious conversation so keep it zipped will you." Lochie nodded. "Okay. I want to know what you'd think about leaving."

"I don't want to." Lochie said immediately, almost before she'd finished speaking. "I like it here."

Cassidy lifted a disbelieving eyebrow.

"Well I like the people." Lochie replied defensively. "And I know you like at least two of them."

"I'm not talking about leaving because I don't like them, I'm talking about survival."

Lochie glowered at her through watery eyes.

"Why would you want to leave?" She asked in the sulky tone of a teenager being told they were being punished for something they hardly thought was a crime.

"Don't be a child about this, Lochie. I'm hardly going to make you leave for no reason."

"So explain your reasoning." She said coolly, folding her arms mutinously.

"Lochie, they have a guy handcuffed in the barn. The barn recently vacated by a whole bushel full of walkers."

"So?"

"So while they're discussing whether to redefine this country's stance on the death penalty, Shane's busy bouncing off the walls, Dale's having a moral crisis and Daryl-" She broke off before she could quite get the words out.

"Different States have different stances on the death penalty." Lochie said flatly.

"Funnily enough I don't think it matters very much anymore."

Lochie glowered.

"Is this about Daryl kicking seven shades of shit out of that guy?" Lochie asked bluntly. "I didn't think you'd have a problem with that."

"It's nothing to do with that." Cassidy said tightly, although it kind of was. It wasn't that Daryl had beat up a scumbag, it was the casual way they had accepted what he'd done. The group was changing into something dangerous, literally quite willing to sacrifice someone else for their survival. Usually that wouldn't have bothered her, but they were lining each other up for the slaughter and she wasn't about to be next. Dale was right but he was worried about the wrong thing, it was only a matter of time before they turned on each other.

"I don't want to leave." Lochie said firmly, even if her lip trembled slightly. "And I don't think you want to either." She reached out and took Cassidy's hands in hers. "I don't know what goes on between you two… despite the rather revealing soundtrack paper thin tent walls manage to provide, but I know it's not what you thought it would be."

Cassidy opened her mouth to deny it but Lochie squeezed her hands and leaned even closer, her bright grey eyes fixed intently on Cassidy's.

"I'm not saying you're having some great romance or anything, or you're going to run off and live happily ever after, but the pair of you seem to fill some sort of hole for each other. It's gross." She frowned. "It probably won't end pretty either but whatever. Running away isn't going to solve anything."

Cassidy rolled her eyes.

"Am I convincing you?" Lochie asked and Cassidy laughed.

"Not really."

"You couldn't leave him, you know." Lochie said quietly, fixing her with a surprisingly steely gaze.

"Yes I could, Lochie. And he could leave me too." Cassidy said sadly.

That was how she knew he cared. And probably what would get them both killed.

* * *

><p>She'd been staring up at the ugly green roof of her tent for at least six hours. She knew that because she'd watched the shadows shifting as the sun began to rise. While she hadn't spoken more than a few polite words to Dale since they were first introduced, Daryl had been deeply affected by what had happened, what he'd done. He wouldn't say that of course. He'd disappeared straight to his tent without a word to anyone after they'd transported the body back to the house to be buried. Glenn had told them what had happened with a dazed look on his face and then he too had retreated to deal with his grief.<p>

At first she'd tried to avoid it, the nagging thorn digging into her belly, but eventually she couldn't stand it any longer. Sleep was completely ignoring her and Lochie had long since fallen into a glum doze. She crawled out of the tent silently. It was chilly in the last few minutes before dawn and she shivered in her jogging bottoms and wife-beater. She slipped on her boots and headed for his tent.

He was deeply asleep, he didn't even stir when she unzipped the flap. She kicked off her boots and lay down besides him. He'd discarded his clothes in a rumpled pile still splattered with blood. Rather than looking peaceful in repose, his face was guarded and a frown creased his brow. He was curled on one side, one arm cushioned under his head and his other hand splayed on the sleeping bag between them.

It made her heart sink that just lying here was making her feel calmer. She watched him for a while; the steady rising and falling of his chest, the way his growing hair had started to curl into his neck and slip over his forehead, his long feathery lashes fanning over his sculpted cheekbones and fluttering as he dreamed. The lustrous lower lip pulled down in a frown. She edged a little closer until there was barely an inch between them. Somewhere along the way he'd become as necessary for her existence as oxygen. She'd somehow become as aware of him as any of her limbs and the thought of not seeing him every day cut straight down to the bone. But how could they stay? Daryl was right, the group was broken. It was fractured. The trust was fading and things were only going to get worse. She was an outsider, they would never trust her entirely and eventually that mistrust would become suspicion and that would never end pretty.

Since her sister had died she had steadily built a sturdy impenetrable wall between her emotions and the rest of the world. She was cowering behind that wall now. She was caught between the common sense of reality and the dark arrow of poison that leaving him would plunge into her chest. She had done things that she hadn't wanted to do before, dark things, but none of them had made her feel this way. She felt young and vulnerable and lost. For the first time in a long she wanted her mother to hug her and tell her it would all be alright.

He had stirred while she had been thinking her miserable thoughts, roused by some inner survival mechanism that told him someone had invaded his territory. He didn't look surprised to find her in his tent, mirroring his position opposite him on the bumpy floor of his small tent. He was surprised at the tears trickling into the hair at her temple and dripping over her nose though. Something told him they weren't for Dale.

"Would you miss me if I left?"

Usually there was a teasing lilt to her voice and a sparkle in her eyes when she asked him such questions, but she looked drawn and serious.

"You goin' somewhere, Red?"

Another tear trickled down her cheek and she swiped at it irritably with the back of her hand.

"What if I did?" She whispered, moving in closer until her hot tearstained cheek pressed against the fingers of his hand resting on the sleeping bag.

"Why would you do that?" He asked gruffly.

"Survival, redneck." She replied with a flicker of her usual smirk. "That's the name of the game, isn't it?"

"You look like ya survivin' to me." He pointed out, flicking a brief hot glance over the swell of her hip.

"Yeah, and Randall thought he'd survived when they peeled him off that iron spike."

Daryl blinked and his face blackened slightly. His knuckles were still bruised and torn from the interrogation hours earlier.

"That's different. That ain't got nothin' to do with us." He growled firmly.

"Which us?" She challenged quietly. "Your group. Or this us."

She gestured between the two of them and he frowned, withdrawing his hand and rolling onto his back.

"There is a difference." She insisted, staring hard at his rigid profile. "You know there is. We're not one of you and eventually that's going to become an issue."

He huffed impatiently at her. He didn't see the point in potential what ifs and usually she would never discuss them with him.

"We're going to move into the house for the winter." He said grouchily, still not looking at her.

"That your solution, Dixon? You're asking me to move in with you?" She snorted despite herself.

"Don't be so fucking stupid." He snapped and she laughed.

"About the moving in or the leaving?"

"Both."

"You really think moving into that creepy old shack will make everything better?" She asked doubtfully.

He gave her a sidelong look and she sighed, reaching out for him. She hadn't decided whether to stay or not, but there was nothing quite as gloriously distracting as a naked Daryl Dixon.

* * *

><p>Daryl could tell that she wasn't there when he woke up without opening his eyes. The tent had a different quality when she was in it. He rolled over warily, blinking when he was confronted with a red smear on his chest. He sat up. While he'd been sleeping she'd managed to find a truly hideous shade of pinky red lipstick and scrawl a note on the floor of his tent not covered by various layers of dirty clothes.<p>

_Don't worry redneck, I've not left for good. _

_I'll be back once I've found somewhere we can run to if we need to._

_A girl should always have a bolt hole in any relationship. _

_Even in an apocalypse. _

_I've left you something to remember me by, DO NOT trade it for ammo._

_When I get back I expect it to be in one piece. _

_- J_

Daryl scrubbed his hands over his face tiredly. He'd expected to feel some of the blazing anger he'd felt when she'd disappeared with Shane but he only felt gloomy, as if he'd misplaced his favourite boots. It wasn't that he didn't have other boots, but none of them fit his feet quite the same way. He squinted. Was that what she'd left him? It was a thin black leather band that she'd always worn around her slender ankle. He'd never asked her about it but he assumed it meant something to her since she kept it. She'd wrapped it around his wrist while he was sleeping. He was still glaring at it when the flap of his tent was thrust rudely open. He wasn't exactly bashful but he did hurriedly yank the sleeping bag over his nudity as Lochie burst into his tent. She had a torn piece of paper in her hand and her face was white.

Her eyes raced over every inch of the tent as if she expected Cassidy to pop up from behind something. Her face crumpled in on itself when no sarcastic redhead appeared and Daryl braced himself for some noisy tears. Her chin did wobble but she seemed to reel herself back in and she straightened up.

"Oh." She said morosely. "Well." She flipped her rumpled hair over her shoulder and hooked one finger into the bright red ribbon tied in a loose bow around her neck. "I suppose you know what this is supposed to mean?"

* * *

><p><strong>LadyLecter47<strong> – well I don't need spoilers for the finale because I had to go online and find out what happened so I know Daryl doesn't die. I have to say I'm disappointed, I thought they would clear out all the annoying characters. Hope you like.

**undeadangel** – thanks, you learn something new every day :)

**eloquent dreams** – I know poor Daryl :(

**SharonH** – I'm not sure what I'm going to do in between seasons, if I take it too far I could get stuck in a corner when the new season starts. I think I'll be adding more Lochie/Rick, definitely.

**vexingvixen7** – well anyone is better at looking after Carl than Lori. All she has to do nowadays is look after her son and she seems to lose him a whole lot. Useless bint. Well they're not going to make it easy for each other, stubborn characters are the best :D

**Lady-Isowen** – thanks

**Dalonega Noquisi** – oooo I like it lol hope you like this update too :)


	22. Chapter 14

A/N: Don't own (although I'd love to have my very own Norman Reedus :D) don't sue!

Lyrics are from 'Rain' by Patty Griffin

I apologise in advance for the lack of enough Daryl in this chapter. It shall be rectified if you can hold out for the next update. I also don't like fics that bang on and on about their own character so I apologise for being a hypocrite in this chapter too. That shall also be rectified. There is some Lochie/Rick though, if that eases the insult a little bit :D

**Rain**

**Chapter Fourteen**

It's hard to listen to a hard, hard heart  
>Beatin' close to mine<br>Poundin' up against the stone and steel  
>Walls that I won't climb<br>Sometimes a hurt is so deep, deep, deep  
>You think that you're gonna drown<br>Sometimes all I can do is weep, weep, weep  
>With all this rain fallin' down<br>Strange, how hard it rains now  
>Rows and rows of big dark clouds<br>When I'm holding on underneath this shroud  
>Rain<br>It's hard to know when to give up the fight  
>Some things you want will just never be right<br>It's never rained like it has tonight before  
>Now, I don't wanna beg you, baby<br>For something maybe you could never give  
>I'm not lookin' for the rest of your life<br>I just want another chance to live  
>Strange, how hard it rains now<br>Rows and rows of big dark clouds  
>When I'm holdin' on underneath this shroud<br>Rain

"Mornin', Red."

Cassidy blinked and frowned at the shadow crowding over her.

"Not yet it isn't." She mumbled, burrowing deeper into her pillow.

She felt his hand trailing lazily over her bare shoulder, nestling under her hair and squeezing the nape of her neck.

"Dawn. Time to move, girly." He breathed against her temple.

"Why?" Cassidy mumbled. "Leave me alone."

"You know why, Red."

The fog of sleep finally cleared and Cassidy stirred. The warm illusion vanished and the pillow under her head became her lumpy pack wedged into a knot of branches.

"Wow." She muttered under her breath. "That was sappy."

She brushed her wild hair off her forehead, frowning at the heat. She was pretty sure she was coming down with something, probably from sleeping up trees and under bushes for two nights. She'd headed in the opposite direction to Atlanta, zigzagging through the trees in search of something that could pass as a temporary safe haven. Nada. Not even a freaking shed. She dangled her legs on either side of the thick branch she'd used as her mattress for the night, squinting in every direction. No sign of walkers. Now she had to decide whether to go further out or closer to the highway.

"Are you going to sit up there all day? You might as well ring the dinner bell."

Cassidy almost jumped out of her skin but she managed to cling onto the trunk of the tree. How they had quite managed to sneak up on her was a mystery that made her more than a little concerned at her assessment of how ill she was. She surveyed them warily. There was a girl, about fifteen, with straggly sandy blonde hair tucked up under a camouflage hat crouching down in the bushes just below her. A short man with silver hair, who seemed to have been the one shouting up at her, glared up at her as if she was personally responsible for everything that had gone wrong in his life. A slight rustle drew her gaze and a tall slender man with a riot of blond curls tumbling over his forehead appeared.

"What're you going to do?" She taunted sharply.

The girl snorted and the silver-haired man shot her a dark look. Cassidy surveyed them. She could take the girl no problem, the short man was favouring one knee over the other, a well-placed kick would take him out of the equation. She cocked her head until she could see the blond man fully. He returned her gaze impassively. He was a little older than her, probably just about thirty, and although he was tall and lean he was also clearly strong based on the breadth of his shoulders and the well-developed muscles in his arms. He might be harder to deal with in her slightly weakened state.

"I just want to know what you're planning on doing up there." The silver haired man asked.

"Well I _was_ sleeping." She pointed out, still trying to decide whether it was worth climbing down or not.

"I know. Joseph's been keeping an eye on you."

Joseph was apparently the rather attractive man still leaning casually against the tree trunk and peering up at her. She glared.

"Creepy much?" She snapped down at him. "What you spy on stray girls in the middle of the night for fun around here?"

"Only to make sure they're not about to murder us in our sleep."

She couldn't argue with him there but she still felt hot all over at the thought of being spied on in the dark.

"Are you going to come down? You don't look too good."

"Wow. What a smooth talker."

She rolled her eyes and weighed her options. Staying up the tree wasn't an option, eventually the walkers would arrive and she'd be a sitting duck. She did a quick mental assessment while the three of them peered up at her. She had a few scrapes from branches and a nasty bruise on her knee from where she'd fallen yesterday, she was pretty hungry but she had enough strength to defend herself if she had to. It was easier to defend against the living anyway, they still felt pain and had some sense of self preservation. She shimmied down the tree.

"Now what?" She tilted her chin defiantly and glared at the silver haired man, he was exactly the same height as her.

"You hungry?" He grunted after an interminably long pause.

She blinked, casting a suspicious look at the others.

"What's the catch?"

He scratched his whiskery chin and flicked his glance over her rifle case.

"You're gonna have to help us catch it." He said with the trace of a grin.

"And why would I do that?"

She met him eye to eye, aware of Joseph straightening up in her peripheral vision.

"You help feed us and we'll give you a more comfortable place to sleep tonight." He countered. "A bed."

She narrowed her eyes at him, looking him up and down doubtfully.

"And would I be expected to share this bed?" She asked icily.

"Only if you're offering." The girl suddenly piped up, getting to her feet and sauntering over to them. "You're not my type but I guess you're kinda hot." She assessed, her hazel eyes running over her. "For someone that old."

"Hey I'm twenty five." Cassidy protested irritably.

The girl leaned in closer to her, eyeing her closely.

"Oh. It's all the grime." She observed. "Makes you look older. I'm Cookie." She popped a bubble in her chewing gum and turned away. "No tracks around here, Doug." She kicked at the ground with the toe of her army boot. "Nothing been through here but stinking walkers."

"So?" Doug asked her impatiently.

Cassidy eyed them. They didn't seem too dangerous. Of course they could be leading her back to god knows what. She could practically hear Daryl cussing at her, calling her every variation of 'stupid' under the sun.

"Okay."

A brief flash of relief crossed Doug's face and Cassidy relaxed slightly, if they needed her this badly they probably weren't about to handcuff her in the barn. The fact that they hadn't tried to disarm her made her feel a little better too. Doug was suddenly all business, ordering Cookie to scout ahead as they made their way home for breakfast.

"Should she be running around on her own?" Cassidy observed as she fell into step behind Doug on the narrow path.

"Don't let her age, or the fact that she's a skinny little runt, fool you." Joseph commented idly from behind her. "She can track a deer through this mess for days."

"Yeah. I know someone like that." Cassidy said quietly.

"Are they a smartass pain in the ass too?"

A rock whistled over Cassidy's head and bounced off a tree an inch from Joseph's head. He laughed. It was still very early and the woods were deceptively silent. And cold. She shivered, tugging her shirt closer around her. Correction, Daryl's shirt. Oh yes she'd taken one of his shirts before she'd left. It was her favourite one too. Sleeveless, green and yellow chequered, the one she always nabbed when she spent the night in his tent. She didn't really want to admit that it still smelt of him too, oil from his crossbow and dirt and the faintest hint of blood and something slightly spicy and uniquely Daryl. It fell to well below her waist and, worn in by Daryl's well structured body, hung strangely off her slender frame.

"How would a kid know how to do all that?" Cassidy asked, watching Cookie on the path ahead of them.

"No idea." Joseph shrugged.

Well that effectively ended the conversation and Cassidy turned her attention to their surroundings, keeping track of landmarks and how many turns they made so she could find her way back.

* * *

><p>"You live underground?" She observed doubtfully, eyeing the gaping hole in the ground with extreme distaste.<p>

"What'd you expect, a five star hotel?" Cookie drawled, rolling her eyes at Joseph.

Cassidy did not like the idea of crawling down a dark hole with a bunch of strangers. At all. Her gut was pulsing, telling her quite clearly that this was a bad idea. A stupid idea. Cookie had unlocked the padlock on the metal door and, with surprising strength, she yanked open the door. Cassidy could sense Joseph and Doug behind her. Cookie was glaring at her impatiently.

"You guys just happened to stumble on this place?" She asked suspiciously, planting her feet in case they attacked.

"I helped build it." Doug announced flatly. "It was commissioned by some rich old coot who was paranoid about the end of the world. There're miles of tunnels that lead all over the place."

"What happened to the rich old coot?"

"Apparently he wasn't paranoid enough." Joseph supplied cheerfully, stepping around her and following Cookie into the tunnel.

"We don't have all day, lady." Doug grumbled from behind her.

Cassidy climbed into the tunnel. Joseph held out a hand to help her down and she gave him a doubtful look. He took it in good grace, shrugging it off and sauntering off down the tunnel. As they made their way through the winding tunnels, Cassidy tried to keep track of where they were heading above ground. This was a dumb idea. The atmosphere was all wrong down here, something wasn't right. But they encountered no trouble as she followed them into a large hollowed out room lined with bunks. There was no one in sight but muffled voices told her they weren't alone.

There was a small kitchenette in one corner and Doug moved around it apparently making breakfast. Joseph and Cookie sat at the small plastic table and proceeded to ignore her completely. She took stock of her surroundings. Besides the door behind her, there was a door at the opposite end of the room and another to her left. She took a wary seat at the end of the table.

"Here." Doug grunted, thrusting a plastic cup of water at her.

She sniffed it experimentally and Cookie snorted. She grabbed the cup and took a dramatic gulp, then handed it back to Cassidy. As she swallowed her mouthful two things struck her; one, Joseph was looking at her the same way her mother had been when she'd told her about how her hamster had been accidentally swallowed by the dog and two, Cookie had spat out her mouthful of water all over the table and was hurriedly scrubbing out her mouth with a cloth. Then everything went fuzzy.

* * *

><p>Swirls of vibrant purple and shocks of poisonous green streaked across her vision. Her body felt as if it was no longer attached anymore, she was just a random hodge-podge of limbs jumbled together. Eventually she located her eyelids and she forced them open. She was in a room, more of a cell really, with no windows or doors and nothing but the bed she was lying on. She rubbed a hand across her face, feeling the sheen of sweat beneath her skin.<p>

"You look terrible."

She froze. She knew that voice. It wasn't possible. It just wasn't possible. Slowly she cracked open an eye, peering at the figure sitting cross-legged at the end of her bed.

"I'm hallucinating." She said hoarsely.

"Naturally. How else could we be having this conversation? I'm dead, remember."

Cassidy shut her eyes, not wanting to look at her dead sister even if it was just a figment of her imagination.

"I remember." She forced herself to sit up. "So. That's it? A t-shirt and jeans? I figured robes and a glowing white light and stuff."

Callie's face twisted into an amused smirk and she rolled her eyes.

"Don't be so lame. I'm in _your_ head stupid, you dressed me like this. You're not a robes person, little sister."

"So what's the point of this little interlude?" Cassidy sighed, still unable to look at her sitting so calmly on the bed.

"No idea." Callie said cheerfully. "Like I said, I'm a part of your brain. Must be something you need to hear."

"So is this where they're keeping me?" Cassidy asked, climbing down from the bed.

"No. You're still unconscious somewhere, this is just what your brain made up."

Cassidy circled the small room, running her hands over the walls searching for a door. Nothing.

"You left him."

She whirled around.

"You have got to be kidding me." She groaned. "I get poisoned by a bunch of psychos, fall into some sort of coma or something and I conjure up my dead sister to lecture me on my love life?"

"You're not in a coma." She replied calmly. "Just unconscious. You were drugged."

"Thanks, I figured that part out." Cassidy rolled her eyes, momentarily forgetting that she was arguing with herself and not her actual sister. "So go on, lecture away."

She sat there in silence and merely watched her. Cassidy glared back.

"Go on." She snapped.

"I don't need to." She cocked her head. "You already know everything I'd say."

"That I shouldn't have left him. Or Lochie. That I panicked, forgot I was supposed to be a mature woman and ran away? That it's been so long since somebody trusted me that I forgot how to reciprocate?" She reeled off glumly.

"All of the above. And don't forget stubborn, pigheaded, selfish, childish, inflexible, you have no people skills, you're pretty damn rude, you're a terrible friend and you're so scared of how you feel about that redneck that you'd rather throw yourself at a bunch of kidnappers than deal with it." She got up from the bed and the sight of that familiar graceful walk, almost as if she were gliding, made Cassidy's stomach clench painfully. "Don't be an idiot, little sister."

She touched her lips briefly to her forehead. When Cassidy opened her eyes her sister had vanished and Daryl was in her place. He was perched on the end of the bed, elbows on his spread knees in a position she knew so well her stomach squirmed.

"OK, so what're your words of wisdom, redneck?"

He levelled her with an icy glare.

"Yeah I know." She snapped, leaning back against the wall sulkily. "I shouldn't have trusted them."

"I was just startin' to think you're not as dumb as you look."

"Really?" She snorted. "I wish I could say likewise."

He ignored the jibe. His face was drawn and serious.

"You're my hallucination and you look worse than me."

A flicker of a smile curled the corner of his lips.

"This is how you created me." He pointed out. "This is how you want me."

She cocked her head.

"I must be hoping you're missing me." She mused. "Worried about me, maybe. Are you?"

"I can't answer that." He got to his feet in one fluid movement, crossing the small room swiftly. "If I was really here, ya know what I'd say." He murmured, one hand on either side of her head, palms flat against the wall.

"I know." She breathed.

Even in the middle of a hallucination his proximity could make her chest flutter and her fingertips tingle.

"So what are you waiting for?"

Cassidy frowned. Her lips were cold. In fact they were freezing. She couldn't move her arms either. She uttered a strangled cry.

"Calm down."

She blinked up at the face peering down at her. Joseph. She tried to lift her hand to punch him but she couldn't raise it far enough. She glanced down. She was handcuffed to a hospital bed. Both hands. She was gagged too. He removed the cold cloth from her forehead.

"You had a reaction to the drug." He informed her quietly. "You had a fever. I thought you were going to die."

She glared. He glanced around shiftily and then removed the gag.

"What the fuck are you doing?" She demanded immediately.

"You're going to be traded." He said stiffly, avoiding her gaze. "For food and ammo."

She narrowed her eyes at him. He kept shooting glances at the door, as if he expected someone to appear at any moment.

"You're joking, right?"

His tense shoulders and the disgustingly helpless look on his face told her he wasn't.

"What would anybody-" She broke off when he shot her a look, his cheeks paling slightly. "You're going to trade me to some thugs? So they can rape me whenever they please I take it."

He flinched. She fixed flinty eyes on him, glaring at him unmercifully until he finally looked up.

"How many women have you done this to?"

He fiddled with the cloth in his lap.

"It's complicated." He muttered.

The handcuffs rattled as her hands twitched. The door swung open and Cookie sauntered in with a bucket. She blinked at her impassively when she realised she was awake.

"Finally. You've been out of it for so long we were about to chuck you outside and leave you to it."

Cassidy bit her tongue to keep her retort in her mouth. Cookie looked at her narrowly and then turned away.

"Sit up." She ordered over her shoulder.

Joseph helped Cassidy scramble into a sitting position. She glowered at him but she was too weak to protest. Cookie dragged the bucket over. It was filled with water and a sponge.

"If I unlock these and you try to escape, I'll break your wrists." She said calmly and there wasn't the slightest tremor of hesitation in her voice.

Cassidy remained impassive. She was weak, the fever had been bad and she needed to recover before she tried anything. Cookie gestured at Joseph and he retrieved the handcuff keys from his pocket. His left side jeans pocket, she noted. As he unlocked the handcuffs, Cookie stripped off her shirt. It smelt quite disgusting but she watched it go with some regret.

"I want that back." She was quite impressed by how calm her voice sounded when anger was clenching her lungs like a fist.

Cookie briskly stripped her down to her underwear and Cassidy let her. The water in the bucket was frigid as Cookie washed her down and Cassidy clenched her teeth to keep silent. Instead she concentrated on figuring out a way out of here.

"You really aren't as old as I thought." Cookie commented once she'd scrubbed away the sweat, blood and grime. "Prettier than I expected."

"I'm flattered." Cassidy snapped without looking at her.

"You'll get a good price." She estimated shrewdly.

Joseph had left the room while she'd been undressed. He returned with a bundle of fabric which he handed to Cookie wordlessly.

"Put this on." She dumped the fabric into Cassidy's lap.

Cassidy held it up doubtfully. It was a white dress.

"You're kidding, right?"

"They like the virginal look." Cookie shrugged.

Cassidy got unsteadily to her feet, swaying a little as the blood rushed to her head. She frowned. She was even weaker than she'd thought. It seemed to take an interminably long time to pull the dress on. High necked, long sleeved, cinched in at the waist and fluttering in one long panel of ivory silk to her ankles. It resembled nothing so much as a wedding dress. Possibly from the 20's. She fumbled with the tiny pearl buttons down the front of her chest until Cookie grumbled something under her breath and took over. Cassidy glanced over her shoulder at Joseph. His cheeks had turned red and he looked completely nauseous.

"I guess we should do something about all this." Cookie muttered, grabbing a hank of Cassidy's wet hair and holding it up.

"Not your strong point?" Cassidy mocked.

Cookie's cool icy demeanour flickered and she was once again a fifteen year old girl being teased by someone stronger. She took a breath, took control of her emotions and dropped Cassidy's hair.

"Do something with it." She ordered Joseph. "They'll be here in two days."

As she strode down the hallway, Cassidy counted her steps. Joseph finally looked at her and she stared back. He looked away first.

"Give me a brush."

He hesitated and she rolled her eyes.

"What am I going to do? Kill you with a hairbrush?" She made it sound completely ridiculous when in fact she could kill him with a hairbrush if she wanted to, if it was one of those with a pointy handle she could kill him any number of ways.

She sat back down, running the brush through the tangles in her hair. She wasn't very good with this sort of thing, it was more Lochie's department. Tying it back would keep it out of her way though. She wound it back and tucked it into a simple chignon at the back of her head. It was one of the few beauty tips she'd actually retained from Lochie, mainly because of its usefulness since it didn't need any clips or pins. Joseph was still staring at her. That could be useful.

"Can you help me with this?" She indicated her hair.

He hesitated. She opened her eyes as wide as she could. He moved towards her. The door opened and Doug entered with a tray of food. He frowned at Joseph. Cassidy allowed the older man to handcuff her back to the bed once she'd finished her food. She was tired and her brain was working overtime, fitting pieces of the puzzle together.

* * *

><p>Lochie winced as she checked the bandages on her leg. Her wound had been yanked around like you wouldn't believe in the scramble to get off the farm and she was rapidly running out of clean bandages. She stretched out on the dusty road, tilting her face up to the hot sun. As much as Rick was still their leader, he had no idea where he was leading them. Lochie glared as Lori passed by. She had never liked the woman and her tolerance had officially vanished after the cold shoulder she'd given to Rick. Ungrateful harpy. Rick took a few steps after her and then came to an awkward halt.<p>

"Sit down, Sheriff." Lochie said gently.

Rick had been rather explosive lately but she had experience with bad tempered people. He cast a forlorn look after Lori but sat down nonetheless. He scrubbed his hands back through his hair and rubbed his face tiredly.

"She'll come around." Lochie offered awkwardly. "Probably."

Rick shot her a look and she grinned. He'd had only two expressions since the farm, dark anger and the complete black grief that drained the colour from his face whenever he thought about Shane. It was nice to see something different for a change, even if was exasperation.

"How's the leg?"

She shrugged, plucking at the laces on her Converse morosely.

"I'm sorry about Shane."

Rick tensed. He was leaning forwards, his forearms propped on his bent knees. She could see the muscles bunching in his back beneath his sweat stained shirt. She reached out tentatively, hesitating for a moment. He flinched when she touched his shoulder blade, as if he wasn't used to human contact anymore.

"Not about what happened, what you did and what Carl did." She clarified. "I'm sorry that your best friend is gone. I liked Shane."

"So did I." He finally murmured without looking at her.

She was slightly concerned that he might cry or something. At least he'd relaxed and was no longer acting as if her hand was scorching him.

"I don't think I've ever seen you this quiet." He observed after a moment of comfortable silence. "Are you missing Cassidy?"

"Yes. But that's not why I'm struggling to keep my trap shut." She replied equably, grabbing a nearby stick and scratching a pattern into the dusty road. "Where are we going? What are we going to do? What are we going to eat? Where are we going to sleep? Is this the right way? Why didn't you tell us about being infected? Have you got a plan? It never freaking ends." She seemed to have startled him because he was staring at her as if she might suddenly try and claw his eyes out. "I thought you might appreciate some silence for a change."

His lips twitched.

"Actually I think you're the only person I wouldn't have minded talking to." He shrugged. "You're the only one who hasn't asked me all those things and more."

"What about Daryl?" Lochie cast a glance over her shoulder at Daryl who was working on his bike further up the road.

"Not exactly a conversationalist."

She laughed, hurriedly muffling her giggles behind her hand.

"Isn't that the understatement of the year?" She snorted. "I think that's right up there with 'they'll find a cure before the infection can spread too far'."

He gave a mirthless laugh and she sighed. She'd been trying to take his mind off it. She leaned sideways slightly, nudging him with her shoulder. She was so short that she only bumped his ribs. He nudged her back after a brief pause, one side of his lips curling into a half grin. They bumped together at the same time. It was a little bit childish but at least he was almost smiling again. She pulled her legs up, crossed them and turned to face him. His profile was all angles, the stress had worn away any weight he'd managed to gain at the farm and his high sculpted cheekbones and the smooth slope of his nose were only softened by the long inky lashes and rather large sumptuous mouth momentarily lifted. She cupped her chin in her hand, propped her elbow on her knee and looked at him. Eventually he shifted and shot her a glance.

"What?"

"Just memorising what a good man looks like." She flapped off his embarrassed mutterings. "My mom said I'd never meet one. Not with the kind of boys I brought home."

He chuckled. He felt all flustered at the compliment. People had told him that before obviously but there's something about the way Lochie said it. He watched her out of the corner of his eye. Despite the heat of the sun she hadn't burnt much darker than she had already been. Her short dark hair was pulled back in a messy French braid and her grey eyes were glittering with amusement. He'd never really looked at her before. She was too young and he'd always been too preoccupied.

"Well I guess it figures it would take an apocalypse to meet one." She looked at him narrowly. "Why, Sheriff, I do believe you're blushing."

Before he could reply they were interrupted by Carl and Rick climbed to his feet with a heavy sigh, shattering the brief moment of peace. Lochie clambered back onto her feet, casting a look down the road back towards the farm. She didn't really expect to see her but she looked just the same. Nothing. When she turned back Daryl was frowning at her with an unreadable expression on his face.

* * *

><p><strong>Dalonega Noquisi<strong> – I know, I don't know how I'll cope!

**LadyLecter47** – I didn't even know they were in it until they were killed off lol shame Lori survived, I had such high hopes :(

**VileMalapert** – who would ever want to leave Daryl lol

**AudioRKO** – lol thanks. Sure I'll take a look when I get a chance :)

**SharonH** – I know Carol's annoying me doing all that whining urgh. I'm afraid I've already taken a disliking to Michonne purely because she's the reason we have to put up with Andrea in the next season. I don't think I'll be able to forgive her.

**eloquent dreams** – lol here's your update

**LittleRin26** – glad you're liking the fic so much

**WhisperInTheRain** – thanks a lot

**arl with a K** – you'd have to continue reading anyway because you love me and I'd sulk :D glad you like it


	23. Chapter 15

A/N: Don't own (although I'd love to have my very own Norman Reedus :D) don't sue!

Lyrics are from 'Rain' by Patty Griffin

**Rain**

**Chapter Fifteen**

It's hard to listen to a hard, hard heart  
>Beatin' close to mine<br>Poundin' up against the stone and steel  
>Walls that I won't climb<br>Sometimes a hurt is so deep, deep, deep  
>You think that you're gonna drown<br>Sometimes all I can do is weep, weep, weep  
>With all this rain fallin' down<br>Strange, how hard it rains now  
>Rows and rows of big dark clouds<br>When I'm holding on underneath this shroud  
>Rain<br>It's hard to know when to give up the fight  
>Some things you want will just never be right<br>It's never rained like it has tonight before  
>Now, I don't wanna beg you, baby<br>For something maybe you could never give  
>I'm not lookin' for the rest of your life<br>I just want another chance to live  
>Strange, how hard it rains now<br>Rows and rows of big dark clouds  
>When I'm holdin' on underneath this shroud<br>Rain

"You look-" Cassidy broke off in surprise.

She knew it was the day she was supposed to be handed over to her new owners. She'd been well fed and once she'd been left alone she'd slipped her cuffs and exercised her tired body until she was almost as strong as one could expect in an apocalypse. She expected to be watched and she had picked up their routine easily, they took three hour shifts watching her through the one way mirror. With a few hours of unsupervised time between each shift. They clearly didn't expect her to be able to escape. Of course she played dumb but when she knew it was Joseph's watch she slipped out of her dress to exercise. As she'd hoped, he hadn't told anyone that she could pick the lock on her cuffs with the pin hidden in her bra. It was a little bit creepy knowing he was watching her while she was only in her underwear but she'd done worse to get out of situations before.

She resented being forced into the dress though. She'd changed back into her own clothes almost immediately and Cookie had barged in brandishing a tazer. She still had the two little burns on her neck. Oh she was going to get that little bitch.

"I don't feel too hot." He agreed, sliding her tray of food onto the table.

That was an understatement. His skin was waxy and grey, sweat was pouring from under his hairline and his eyes glinted feverishly.

"Sit down." She said, abandoning all pretence and sliding out of her cuffs.

He sank down onto the end of the bed.

"You're burning up." He was shaking too, his skin so hot it was almost painful when he grabbed her. "What're you doing?"

"They were going to hand you over today." He said quietly and she wasn't entirely sure if he was talking to her or himself. "Too late, though."

"What are you talking about?" She demanded, trying to wriggle out of his grip. "What's too late?"

He was much stronger than she'd thought, his fingers were biting into her skin through the silken sleeves of the dress.

"It's all too late. We're just putting off the inevitable, you know? What difference does it make if we die now or later?" He laughed, sounding more than a little insane, and she renewed her struggles to escape.

"What are you saying, Joseph?" She was now thoroughly alarmed at the way he was saying these things.

"It doesn't matter now."

"What have you done?" She demanded impatiently, fear coursing up her throat.

"I let them in." He said calmly. "They knew we were here. They just couldn't find a way in."

She recoiled when she realised her palm was stained with blood. He made no move to stop her as she pushed his sleeve up his arm. He'd been bitten. It was a surprisingly small wound but no less deadly. That explained the fever. He took her by surprise, crushing her against him before she could react. His lips were dry and cracked, almost painful against hers. She struggled to get away, panic overriding her instincts.

"Stop it. Let go!"

He growled in frustration as she clawed at him. He released her and she stumbled backwards, tripping on the long skirt of her dress. He grabbed for her and she swore, her fingernails scrabbling at his cheek as she fought to catch her balance. He cursed, hitting her across the cheek with the back of his hand. She knew how to take a punch but his fever and whatever it had done to his mind had made him stronger and her feet actually left the ground as she swung around. She stumbled over the table and it clattered sharply into her ribs as she hit the ground. She tasted the blood when her lip split but her senses had kicked in now. She pushed the pain to the back of her mind and tensed. She heard Joseph moving behind her and then his weight snatched the breath from her body. He shoved her over onto her back. Her dress had ridden up and his fingers were scrabbling at her thighs.

Going against everything her mind and body were screaming at her, she forced herself to relax underneath him. When she was sure he was distracted trying to work his way through the folds of her dress, she shoved her thumbs into his eye sockets and pushed.

Blood squirted and he howled but she was already on her feet. She dashed across the room to where her clothes had been left in a pile. Her fingers were slippery with sweat and blood but she managed to wrench the false sole of her boot out and retrieve the knife she kept there. He was staggering after her, blinking through the blood, his handsome features sickeningly distorted. Her jitters had left her, she was calm and collected now.

"I'm leaving, Joseph." She said quietly, palming the knife. "If you get the fuck out of my way right now we'll forget what just happened."

He snarled. He was completely beyond reason and she felt a flicker of regret. If he hadn't been bitten he might have been a good guy. Apart from the handing girls over part obviously. He kept coming. She spread her balance, ready for his attack but she had forgotten her long skirt. Trying to widen her stance she got caught in the unforgiving silk and he lunged. They careened backwards. The tabletop behind her caught the base of her spine and she cried out. Her head hit the wall with a resounding crack and she saw stars. His hands were gripping her arms again. She had no idea whether he was trying to rape her or trying to bite her. She had no intention of letting him do either. The knife was short but it slid into his temple remarkably easily. His face went slack with surprise and his grip relaxed slightly. They tumbled down from the table in a heap of ungainly limbs. She shoved him off her. She wasn't entirely sure if her knife had gone deep enough. If memory served Joseph had a hunting knife strapped to his ankle. She pulled up his jeans and yanked out the knife. He looked peaceful now he was dead, his hair flopping over his face and hiding the wound. His shoulders trembled and she thrust the knife through the centre of his forehead. His body went still.

She sat there for a moment, calming her trembling nerves. Whilst she had been attacked before, perk of the job and the wonderful temperament the apocalypse had created, no one had managed to get quite that close. She had nasty red marks on her thighs which she knew would rapidly become blue-black bruises. She shoved a lock of hair off her forehead, frowning at her trembling hands. There was an almighty clattering from behind the one way mirror. Time to go. She shoved her bare feet into her boots, grabbed her clothes and Joseph's knife. She'd have to change on her way.

* * *

><p>Lochie gave up. They were taking it in turns to keep watch and hers wasn't due for another couple of hours but she just couldn't rest. Of course squashing into the back of an abandoned car wasn't exactly the best way to get a good night's sleep. She wriggled out of the car as quietly as she could. Rick was on watch, hidden away somewhere in the trees where he could see the road from both directions. She knew she shouldn't go wandering around in the dark on her own, but she couldn't stay in that car any longer.<p>

She moved quietly away from the sleeping group. She didn't go too far and she kept the makeshift camp in view. She shivered, wrapping her arms around herself.

"What're you doin'?"

She leaped about a foot in the air, whirling in a full circle. It took her a moment of panicked fear to pick out Daryl in the moonlight. He was halfway up a tree, his crossbow across his lap. It was almost impossible to see anything but the glinting of his eyes through the shadows of the leaves. She eyed him warily. Daryl never outright refused any of their company, unless he was in a bad mood, but he never looked particularly inviting either. Throwing caution to the winds she scrambled up the tree, rather ungracefully and not exactly quietly.

She was breathless by the time she'd finished her short climb and settled down on a sturdy branch just below him. He didn't comment on her noisy ascent which was slightly concerning. She sneaked a glance at him. His face was stony, his blue eyes fixed intently on the distance. She hadn't really spoken to him since the attack at the farm, there hadn't been time in the mad dash to escape and after that she hadn't been able to work up the nerve. Whilst Daryl had always been slightly frosty towards any attempt at human contact between them, since Cassidy had left he had reverted to monosyllables and grunts as his main form of communication. Only Rick and Carol managed to elicit words of more than one syllable from him and even they weren't always polite ones.

She ran her finger over the red ribbon tied to her wrist absently. It had become rather grotty and frayed but she held onto it nonetheless. Cassidy would laugh herself silly when she got back and found she still had it. If she got back. Lochie squeezed her eyes shut as her gut clenched. Of course she'd come back. And she'd give her that exasperated look when she realised how bad her crush on Rick had become. The thought made her smile.

"Any danger?" She asked quietly.

He grunted.

"Any sign of food?"

He grunted.

"Any chance of a bed any time soon?"

He grunted.

She sighed, swinging her legs slightly and watching the shadows of her feet waver over the ground beneath them.

"Any sign of her?"

Well he didn't grunt which was rather encouraging. She chanced a quick peek up. He was so still, shoulders rigid and jaw clenched. It was like trying to talk to a statue. A particularly unresponsive statue. But leaving people to it was not in Lochie's nature. She was a nosy little wench and "leaving well alone" was not a part of her vocabulary. Besides, Cassidy was her best friend.

"Are you going to sulk until she gets back?"

He scowled at her and she smiled sweetly up at him, still swinging her legs absently.

"Keep still." He ordered irritably.

She rolled her eyes but ceased her kicking.

"Look, legging it probably wasn't the best thing she could have done but let's face it…" She gestured at the road beneath them. "We could probably do with a nice little vacation home right about now."

He didn't reply but he had sort of cocked his head a little and she took that as a sign that he was listening.

"Do you think she'll find us?" She asked glumly, voicing the fear that had been circling in her head since she'd woken up to an empty tent. "What if she gets herself killed out there?"

"She'll be fine." He interrupted gruffly. "She can take care of herself."

"Yeah." Lochie agreed. "But no one has quite the talent for attracting trouble she does."

Daryl made a strange noise that could have been a laugh or a grunt. Or something in between.

"Do you miss her?" She murmured.

He didn't reply but that could have been his usual friendly manner or maybe he hadn't heard her. Either way the conversation was clearly over and she slid down from the tree.

Rick was waking T-Dog for his watch when she got back. He frowned at her as T-Dog ambled away into the surrounding darkness, yawning widely.

"You should be sleeping." Rick chastised quietly.

Lochie, still worrying about Cassidy, tossed him a scathing look and stomped off into the trees. Rick followed in alarm, not stopping to think about it. She could only go a few feet in because then it became too dark to see where she was going and she found herself tripping on an upraised root. Rick helped her to her feet.

"Go away." She snapped, shrugging his hand off her arm.

He stared at her.

"I mean it. I don't need you to protect me. Stop treating me like a kid. I am a grown woman."

He looked at her. Really looked at her. Her much too big jacket had slid off one slender shoulder when she'd fallen, her hair had slipped out of its braid and fluttered over her delicate elfin features, her grey eyes were blazing, her chin was tilted defiantly and her chest was heaving as her breathing hitched. Yes she was most definitely a woman. He felt something stirring in his belly and he tried to step back, to put some distance between them but his feet weren't obeying. His hands must have developed a mind of their own because he reached out. The jacket was warm from her body heat and, whilst his brain had planned to pull it back up and cover her pale naked skin, his fingers hooked into the soft material until it fell away completely. It caught on the crook of her elbow, dragging down the other side until the studs on her cropped black Guns N Roses vest caught the moonlight.

Pink flushed over her cheekbones and her chest bared by the v of her vest. They seemed to stand there for an interminably long time. He couldn't seem to stop looking at her, noticing things he had refused to see before. Her slender waist peeking out from under the vest, the glitter of a jewel in her belly button, the deceptively delicate slim shapely legs outlined by the skin-tight black leggings. He could see her pulse fluttering wildly in her throat. He felt like he was burning, heat flooding through his body and thundering through his head. Rick was a man of morals who led with his heart and did what he thought was best, he did not let his baser instincts rule his actions. Yet he found himself folding this steely, vulnerable, impossibly unique, young woman into his arms almost without realising it. She slid against him with a startled little sigh. Lori was tall and willowy and when he held her there was always a slight manoeuvrability issue fitting long clashing limbs together but Lochie fitted against him easily.

Her small hands glided along his chest and into his hair as her mouth opened beneath his in surprise. He found he'd actually lifted her off the ground but she didn't protest. He was used to Lori clinging to him as if he might escape her grip at any moment but Lochie was weightless in his arms, trusting him completely. Some sort of sense managed to penetrate the fog in his brain and he put her back down. She struggled to catch her breath for a moment, licking her reddened lips. Her cheeks were red from his stubble.

"I-"

He couldn't think what to say to explain what he'd just done, he couldn't even begin explaining it to himself.

"It's okay, Sheriff." Lochie finally said, zipping her jacket back up.

"It's not okay." He argued stiffly. "I shouldn't have done that."

"Did you want to?" She asked calmly, fixing him with a surprisingly shrewd look.

"I-" He said again. He wanted to deny it but the words stuck in his throat. "Yes." He admitted, scrubbing his hands over his cheeks

"Then you definitely should have done it."

He was slightly taken aback at how calmly she seemed to be taking this situation. He had expected her to scream at him, or slap him maybe.

"The end of the world is not the time to be shy." Her eyes were sparkling but there was something sad about her smile. "Be spontaneous, before we all die anyway."

"I wasn't being spon-" He broke off in confusion.

He didn't have the time to handle this right now. He had to concentrate on keeping these people who trusted him alive, not try to figure out why he had the sudden urge to drag this pretty mischievous creature into the bracken. And Lori… he didn't even want to think about Lori right now.

"Really, Rick… it's okay."

It was the first time she'd ever actually said his name in front of him and it sent a little shiver racing up his spine. Not good.

"Of course, if you ever get the urge again…" She shot him a wicked look over her shoulder as she headed back towards the road.

* * *

><p>It had been a while since the fever had burned out her memory but as she crept along the deserted corridors, it started to come back. The room they'd been keeping her in wasn't far from the main room where they'd drugged her. A half eaten body was strewn across the doorway she'd noticed when she'd arrived. It shifted feebly. The problem was she had no idea how many walkers Joseph had let in, or how many scumbags had already been inside.<p>

There were fingernail marks on the door behind the body. Probably where Cookie and Doug were holed up. She studied the tunnel that headed towards the exit. It was dark, lit only by a feebly flickering light a few feet in. If they were in that room then they hadn't been able to reach the doorway that led out. It seemed deserted now but with walkers you never knew. She was still deciding what to do when the door creaked open besides her. She stepped back against the wall, sliding out of view. Doug advanced shakily, a gun stretched out before him. Cassidy waited until he had cleared the door frame, then put as much force behind her kick as she could. His knee made a satisfying crunching sound and he went down like a ton of bricks, the gun skittering out of his hand and bouncing across the floor. Cookie must have been right behind him because her hand lashed out and grabbed the handle of the door but Doug's writhing bulk blocked it open. Cassidy kicked him again and he stopped squirming.

"Well well." Cassidy said cheerily as Cookie stumbled back a step at the sight of her. "Aren't we in a pickle."

She'd gone deathly white but she glared nonetheless. To be fair she did have a gun in her hand. She moved towards Cassidy.

"Move." She ordered.

Cassidy smiled. The gun was barely an inch from her chest.

"Don't think I won't use this."

"Oh I know you would." Cassidy replied calmly. "If you hadn't gotten so close."

Cookie frowned.

"I reckon it'll still cause a pretty big hole."

"That wasn't what I meant."

Cookie blinked but Cassidy had already yanked her wrist at a painful angle and relieved her of the gun. Some of Cookie's cool left her and she stumbled back.

"So." Cassidy said conversationally, leaning back against the wall where she could see anything approaching. "How many girls were there?"

Cookie stared at her, cradling her injured wrist against her chest.

"What?"

"I said." Cassidy repeated in an icily calm voice. "How many girls did you sell?"

Cookie's face had gone yellow with pain as she gingerly tested her broken wrist.

"What do you care?"

"Never said I did." She pointed out. She could hear something. Maybe walkers, maybe the lovely individuals who were trying to buy her. Either way it was time to go. "I am, however, going to need a distraction."

If it was at all possible, Cookie turned even paler.

"You wouldn't." She said hoarsely, although she didn't sound nearly as certain as she wanted to.

"You think," Cassidy said in that dangerous voice that had given Andrea the chills the first time they'd met. "That because I let you fatten me up and get me back on my feet, that I wasn't capable of getting out of here of my own accord?"

Cookie staggered backwards, tripped on the uneven floor and landed hard. She threw her out hands to catch her balance, screeching in pain when she put her weight on her broken wrist.

"Even if you would." She argued defiantly. "You shoot that thing and they'll all know exactly where to find us."

Cassidy cocked her head to the side, crossing the room in three long strides until she towered over Cookie.

"Good point." She stamped the heel of her boot down on Cookie's leg until it made a sickening crack. "Now you've got as much chance of getting out of here as those girls did."

"You can't leave me here!" Cookie wailed.

"Don't worry." Cassidy stepped neatly over Doug's unconscious body. "Your business associates should be along any minute. I'm sure they're the kind of men who'll protect you."

Getting down the tunnel was relatively painless, only one dozy looking walker staggering in circles which she despatched easily. She emerged cautiously out into the trees. Scanning everything for sign of any walkers. However they'd got in, it hadn't been through here. She sighed. Now all she had to do was get back to the farm. She was still weary from her fever and the adrenaline that had been surging through her body. Crawling into Daryl's tent and tucking her tired feet between his had never sounded so appealing.

* * *

><p><strong>LadyLecter47<strong> – I haven't read the comics so probably not lol There was so much disappointment, not a single irritating character removed when they had the chance.

**LittleRin26** – she's not the kind of girl to sit around and be rescued, there's enough of those in the show already :)

**SaraLostInes** – they'll get together again, but I'm going to make you wait for it first at least until the next chapter anyway :D

**LisaBoston** – thanks very much :D :D

**VileMalapert** – well I'm going with the theory that if Daryl found out what they'd tried to do to her, he'd go all native on their asses lol and as much as I enjoy Daryl Dixon kicking ass, I don't want to put more guilt on him than he already has

**SharonH** – I don't think there's anything Andrea could do that would make her interesting anymore, and I'll never forgive her for shooting him either. Don't worry she'll get herself out of it lol

**Dalonega Noquisi** – is this enough kicking ass for you? There will probably be a bit more to come too and there will be a sexy reunion in the next chapter, cross my heart :)

**arl with a K** – yeah apart from that bit lol and apart from Daryl being the sexiest human being ever. No offence

**AutumnKrystal** – thanks very much here's an update for you

**eloquent dreams** – I don't think Merle would ever buy anything he wanted, he'd just waltz in and take it. So excited he's going to be in the next series again can't wait!


	24. Chapter 16

A/N: Don't own (although I'd love to have my very own Norman Reedus :D) don't sue!

Lyrics are from 'Rain' by Patty Griffin

**Rain**

**Chapter Sixteen**

It's hard to listen to a hard, hard heart  
>Beatin' close to mine<br>Poundin' up against the stone and steel  
>Walls that I won't climb<br>Sometimes a hurt is so deep, deep, deep  
>You think that you're gonna drown<br>Sometimes all I can do is weep, weep, weep  
>With all this rain fallin' down<br>Strange, how hard it rains now  
>Rows and rows of big dark clouds<br>When I'm holding on underneath this shroud  
>Rain<br>It's hard to know when to give up the fight  
>Some things you want will just never be right<br>It's never rained like it has tonight before  
>Now, I don't wanna beg you, baby<br>For something maybe you could never give  
>I'm not lookin' for the rest of your life<br>I just want another chance to live  
>Strange, how hard it rains now<br>Rows and rows of big dark clouds  
>When I'm holdin' on underneath this shroud<br>Rain

"Well that's anticlimactic." Cassidy muttered to herself.

She'd only managed to snatch a few hours of sleep in the three days it had taken her to get back to the farm, she'd arrived exhausted and hungry to find the place overrun and most of it burnt to the ground. Great. Luckily she had chosen to sleep in the high branches of a tree rather than approach the farm in the dark and when she'd woken up it had been to a particularly unpleasant view which had shattered any hopes of a hot shower and a decent night's sleep. Okay, now what? She squinted down the scope of her rifle, scanning the area. The campsite was still there but it had been trampled by walkers. The RV was overrun by what was left of the barn. But several of the vehicles were missing. Interesting. They wouldn't have been able to leave in a convoy, so where would they go to regroup?

His bike wasn't here. That was a good sign. Of course he was still alive. If anyone could survive it was him. And if Lochie had managed to quash her more ridiculous Good Samaritan urges, she should have made it out alive too.

She settled a large dying branch from a tree a few miles away in her scope. It crashed to the ground with a loud resounding crack, attracting the walkers nearby. Cassidy sighed as she took her rifle apart and packed it neatly back into its case. She had managed to recover it from amongst the pile of weapons in the main room of the underground bunker. She had not, however, been able to find her bag. All she had left was her rifle, that goddamn dress and the clothes on her back. Her stomach rumbled and she grimaced. She clambered down the tree and sped towards the highway.

* * *

><p>Based on the jumble of recent tracks they had definitely been through here, not more than a day ago she estimated. Tracks weren't exactly her strong point. When she was working she scoped out in advance, learnt the routine and accommodated for any eventualities. She searched through the abandoned cars for food that hadn't spoiled, munching on some rather unpleasant stale chips and tepid water. She squinted up at the sun. She had a few hours left before sundown. She looked at the cars thoughtfully. She could hotwire one but they'd been left here in the sun for so long they probably wouldn't be very reliable. She crouched down and examined the side of the car. It had clearly been emptied of any gas weeks ago. She sighed, dropping down into the incline besides the highway so she could see any approaching walkers before they saw her. It was going to be a very long walk.<p>

* * *

><p>Hours. That was how long she'd been walking for. Must have been. Night had fallen and she'd managed to drag herself up a tree and catch a few hours of sleep. She'd been walking again before dawn. Every bone ached, her head was pounding from hunger and the still not entirely cured fever and she felt weak and slightly dizzy. She kept walking. How far could they have gone, really? She had to stop every few hours to wait for the walkers in her path to move on or clear them out of her way. The sky was starting to darken again and she was unhappily contemplating another night with a knobbly branch sticking in her pancreas when she glimpsed a small flicker of light in the distance.<p>

She slid her knife into her hand, wary of walking straight into anybody's camp. She almost tripped over her own feet with relief when she heard Lochie's distinctive voice. Naturally the first person to spot her was Daryl. She saw his head cock slightly, his shoulders stiffen and his hand inched towards his crossbow. His eyes burned brightly across the fire when she stepped into the circle of light, his mouth fixing into a flat line that could have been grimace or a smirk. Lochie had no such reserve. She let out a shriek that could have gotten them all killed and launched herself off the ground.

Cassidy stumbled back a step in her weakened state as Lochie's arms wrapped around her neck. She could feel her trembling against her, her cheek wet against her ear. She managed to compose herself by the time she drew back through. She scowled heartily at her.

"Where the fuck have you been?" She demanded icily.

"Lochie, not now." Cassidy sighed, looking so weary and unusually frail that Lochie grabbed her elbow and dragged her closer to the fire. "I leave you alone for a week, one week, and look what happens."

The small group surveyed her with varying expressions ranging from pleasure to confusion to apathy. Carl glared at her for a very long moment and she glared right back. He flushed brilliant pink when she wrapped an arm around him in a half hug. After greeting her happily Glenn moved away from Daryl automatically to clear a space for her and she grinned at him in amusement. She eased down onto the ground, stretching out her sore legs.

"What's that?" Lochie asked curiously, snatching the bundled dress from her lap. "Is this a wedding dress?"

Cassidy ignored the looks, taking the dress from Lochie and tossing it unceremoniously onto the fire.

"I was using it as a blanket." She said flatly.

"How did you find us?" Lori interrupted sharply as Lochie opened her mouth.

"You guys are easier to find than a puddle in a hurricane." Cassidy drawled and Daryl's lips twitched. "Familiar ground. Anyone with half a brain cell could figure out you'd head for the highway."

"I wouldn't hold out much hope for Andrea then." Lochie muttered under her breath.

She'd curled up besides Cassidy, leaning so close they were almost touching as if she feared she might vanish if she left her side for too long. Cassidy had noted the annoying blonde's absence but she had chosen not to comment just yet.

"I need a cigarette." She announced rather shakily.

She was disturbed, not by her relief that he was still alive, but by quite how relieved she was. The fear that he might have gotten himself killed had settled like a lead weight in the pit of her stomach and now that she knew it wasn't true, the bubble of fear had burst and she felt almost dizzy with relief. She was too exhausted for these kinds of emotions right now.

"You said you were going to stop." Carl said sharply from across the fire with a thoroughly disapproving frown.

"It's been a stressful week." She pointed out.

Daryl slipped the half-smoked cigarette, half cupped in his hand into her fingers. She took a long grateful drag. Cassidy could feel the side long looks sent their way. They seemed to be puzzled that she hadn't thrown herself into Daryl's arms, wailing her undying love and vowing never to leave him again. None of them could see his warm hand splayed on her lower back, keeping her upright when she was so tired she thought she might keel over. Or his shoulder, not exactly touching hers but close enough to spread heat through her whole arm. As if he read her tired mind, Rick stood up.

"You should rest." He said gently.

He looked around their makeshift camp uncertainly. Cassidy found it entirely amusing that even when the world had gone to shit Rick was still tiptoeing around polite social graces. He clearly didn't know how to broach the subject of where she was going to sleep. Daryl got up, looking down at her curiously. He was waiting to see if she needed his help to get up. She was never too tired to mess with him and she laughed, gathering her energy and climbing to her feet. She followed him away from the others after saying an awkward goodnight.

"You feel as bad as you look?" He asked, taking her hand to help her jump down a sharp slope.

"I feel like an eighteen-wheeler just made me its bitch." She snorted, stumbling in the dark and falling against his shoulder.

He grunted but didn't reply, waiting for her steady herself then leading her towards his bike parked a little away from the rest of the group. It was parked at the top of a slight incline creating a small ditch between the bike and a huge tree.

"Home sweet home, huh?" Cassidy observed.

He didn't reply. He was clearly still mad at her for taking off.

"Mind if I collapse?"

She didn't really wait for an answer, flopping down into the scratchy grass besides the bike. She curled into a ball, cushioning her head on her arms. As tired as she was, she forced her exhausted body to remain conscious. Eventually she felt him lie down besides her.

"You okay?"

She contemplated the question. She was alive. Still hungry. Still exhausted. Still a little bit shaky what with almost being raped and all. But in general, she was good. Due in no small part to his warm presence besides her seeping through the darkness.

"That depends. If I say no can we skip the argument?"

She could practically hear him scowl. She rolled over, grunting at the aches shooting through her body.

"I left for a very good reason. Look at the shit storm we're in now. If I'd found somewhere useful we could be in a bed right now."

He was silent for a long time. She watched his profile. He had one arm behind his head, the other resting on his belly. She could see the reflection of the moonlight in his eyes.

"Come on, Dixon. An apocalypse is hardly the time to hold a grudge."

She nuzzled against him, breathing in the smell of his leather vest, the blood still splashed on his bare skin and the metal tang of his crossbow. Everything she associated with Daryl Dixon. The Daryl Dixon she knew, pieced together from tiny glimpses when his guard was lowered and he didn't realise it. She tucked her arms around his, fitting her body against his side.

"You know you can't stay mad at me." She purred, creeping one hand under the vest.

He grunted again but he didn't remove her hand and she felt his shoulder relax a little against her collarbone. The hand on his stomach reached for her wrist. He drew back suspiciously when she hissed in surprised pain. He yanked her arm towards him. Joseph's finger marks were just discernable in the moonlight, the black bruises marked by angry red gashes where he'd dug his fingernails in as she'd struggled. She had never seen him look so murderous, his face had gone black with anger.

"It's nothing." She reassured him carefully, letting him examine her arm.

"Is this it?" He demanded in a strangely strangled voice.

Usually she had her body language completely under control, but she was so beyond tired that her thighs clenched tightly together before she'd even realised she was doing it. His eyes narrowed to mere slits and his fingers closed so tightly on her arm that she had to fight not to wince. He realised he was hurting her and he let go.

"It didn't get that far." She said offhandedly. "He'd been bitten, he went a bit nuts. I took care of it."

He stared at her. She wondered if he was trying to work out if she was lying to him or not. With a martyred sigh she settled back down in the grass and told him everything. As expected he swore at her at great length and in great detail when she reached the part about the tunnels. Telling him about the drugging brought a disbelieving snort and mutterings about the level of her stupidity. She hesitated before telling him about the hallucinations but her mouth had taken on a life of its own and her brain was too tired to keep up with it. He was silent through all of it but she felt his body getting tenser and tenser, coiling into a stiff statue besides her.

"Well that's my grand escapade." She muttered sleepily when she was done. "Does baring my soul score me any points?"

He grunted but his arm curled around her waist and pulled her against him so she knew she was forgiven. She snuggled against his warmth greedily, the uncomfortable ground beneath her forgotten as his body heat seeped through her thin shirt.

"This country is so screwed." She murmured dozily. "How can it be so cold when it's a thousand degrees all day?"

"You need more layers." He mumbled.

"I like this shirt."

"My shirt."

"Looks better on me. You're just jealous because it looks prettier on me."

"Don't smell too pretty no more."

"Well excuse me for not stopping to bathe while I was chasing your dumb ass all over this godforsaken State."

"Wouldn't have had to chase if ya'd stayed put in the first place."

"Jesus H Christ, am I going to have that thrown in my face for the rest of my life?"

"Yup."

"Lucky for me the rest of our lives is a short term prospect nowadays then, isn't it?"

"That's real positive. You're the dumb broad who goes lookin' for trouble."

"Dumb my pasty white ass! I've got more brains than a rickety old redneck who wields a crossbow like it isn't the same kind of ego extension as that bike."

"You got a mind like a sewer. Got a mouth like one too."

"Not now, Dixon, I'm exhausted."

"No I meant ya ain't brushed ya teeth in days."

"That's a fucking awful thing to say. You ungrateful redneck asshole-"

He silenced her by crushing his mouth against hers, gently but firmly, a short unyielding kiss which was partly exploratory and partly marking his territory.

"You don't taste too pretty yourself there, Dixon. Have you been eating raw squirrels again?"

"Shut the fuck up and go to sleep."

* * *

><p>It took Cassidy a very long moment to realise that the sharp object digging into the small of her back wasn't a particular pointy branch but Daryl's belt buckle. After a torturously slow thought process she managed to piece together the events of the last few days. She was stiff from sleeping on the ground but she felt flushed with warmth and not from the early dawn light reflecting off the bike above them either. She stretched languorously, wincing as her bones popped and crunched from sleeping on the hard ground. Daryl's arm tightened around her waist as he hauled her closer in his sleep. She rolled over to face him. He looked rumpled and weary from whatever they'd gone through escaping the farm. He was frowning.<p>

She scanned every inch of his face, committing it all to memory, just in case. He stirred when she brushed her fingertip along the cushion of his lower lip. His nose wrinkled slightly at the tickling sensation.

"I know you're awake." She said with a grin, propping her head up on her arm. "A squirrel ten feet away wakes you up when you're in 'survival mode'. No way you can sleep through being groped."

The corner of his mouth hitched slightly but he stubbornly kept his eyes closed anyway.

"Can't say the same for you. I was on watch a few hours ago and you didn't even blink."

"Yeah well I haven't slept properly since the farm. I could have been eaten in the middle of the night and I'm pretty sure I wouldn't have cared."

"Ya shiverin'." He finally opened his eyes, the vivid blue mere inches away.

"The sun hasn't quite managed to reach scorching temperatures yet." She mumbled, her eyes fluttering closed. "I'll be back sunbathing in no time."

His hand was resting on her waist, spreading warmth through the thin shirt. She cracked open an eye, wondering why he wasn't trying his luck given their relatively isolated position. She looped an arm around his neck, hauling him closer against her.

"We're all alone over here, Dixon." She whispered against his stubbly cheek. "Any ideas on how to welcome me back properly?"

She wriggled closer until there was barely a millimetre between them. She'd never felt him handle her so gently, even when he had been grieving he had never been tender but his lips were soft and barely there, his fingers were moving in small relaxing circles through the thin shirt and he couldn't seem to bring himself to put his full weight on top of her.

"Okay what's going on?" She demanded irritably.

"What?"

"Why are you treating me like I'm made of glass? I don't like it."

"I just thought-" He screwed up his face as he searched for the right word. "You might want me to be… a bit more…"

"Dixon, if I wanted a gentle sensitive lover the last person I would have gone for would be you."

He glared at her, looking thoroughly affronted and she grinned. She slipped her hands under the vest, running her fingers over the contours of his body through his shirt.

"Have I ever asked you to be gentle? Have I ever given you any indication that you were being too rough or that I didn't enjoy you being rough?"

"What happened-"

"Fuck what happened." She said curtly. "It was a small incident and I have moved on. I do not need you to treat me any differently than you have in the past." She eyed him beadily. "Christ, you've not gone soft on me redneck, have you?"

The argument was cut short by the sound of approaching footsteps and Daryl reached for his crossbow.

"Don't shoot me I'm too annoyed to die." Lochie snapped as she threw herself down into the grass besides them.

"Don't worry, you weren't interrupting or anything." Cassidy said testily.

"Yeah well, I wish that harpy would stop interrupting me when I'm groping her husband." Lochie said sulkily.

Cassidy stared at her.

"You did what?"

"Oh don't get your panties in a knot. He kissed me."

Daryl muttered something under his breath, rolling over away from them both and apparently falling straight back to sleep.

"Did it occur to you that that's a bad idea?"

"Oh balls." Lochie swore mutinously. "I like him and I know he likes me. He's hardly the type to go around randomly kissing girls, is he? That horrible witch has been giving him the cold shoulder since she found out about Shane and he doesn't deserve it. It's all her fault anyway. If she'd kept her legs together then Shane wouldn't have tuned out of Sanity FM and he'd still be here."

Cassidy tried to process all of that but her brain was still too tired.

"Lochie." She said slowly. "Go away."

She rolled back over, curling into the hollow of Daryl's back. Lochie stuck her tongue out at their backs before flouncing off moodily.

* * *

><p>The next time Cassidy woke up the sun was burning hotly and the rest of the group were gathered nearby. They seemed to be discussing what they were going to do now. She went to join them, feeling surprisingly refreshed. They were talking in circles. They needed to keep moving but on foot they were too vulnerable. They couldn't stay here forever either. Everyone was hungry and irritable. Daryl seemed to be off somewhere trying to hunt some breakfast so Cassidy took a deep breath, reined in her natural irritation at being amongst people and told them that there was nothing back the way she had come. She gave them a very simplified version of her ordeal, merely telling them that she had found a set of underground bunkers which were overrun and nothing else noteworthy along the way. It was quite obvious that she was lying, Maggie's gaze flashed briefly down at the bruises circling her wrists, the split lip and the blood smeared in her hair, but no one questioned her.<p>

By the time Daryl returned with a few squirrels, they had argued themselves a full circle and were scattered around killing time while Rick thought things through. Carol took the squirrels from him and settled down with Hershel and Beth to see what they could do with them. Cassidy did not miss how Daryl checked in with Rick before he came to her. The interaction didn't worry her or anything but it was an interesting development.

She was sitting on the grassy verge, Lochie trying to get the worst of the tangles out of her hair. Lochie made herself scarce and Daryl sank down besides her, hunching over his bent knees and not looking at her.

"Glad ya back." He grunted so quietly she had to strain to hear him.

"Me too." She said to the grass between her feet.

"'Specially now I don't have to go lookin' for ya like I said I would." He muttered, squinting hard at the trees before them.

She smiled feeling ridiculously awkward, especially when she realised that the tingling in her hands was because she really was dying to throw her arms around him. My god what had he done to her? She was turning into a total drip. She clasped her hands tightly together, inclining towards him slightly instead. Their shoulders bumped, spreading a flush of lightening through her entire system. All of the tension and the fear and anger she had been keeping locked away at the base of her spine since she'd first encountered those three strangers was struggling to surface and she knew that if she gave in she might not be able to pull it all back when she needed to. So she swallowed it.

He seemed to sense that just as he had needed her silent comfort when Sophia had died, now she needed something from him. No one was paying them any attention. T-Dog was napping from the early watch Maggie and Glenn had just relieved him of, Lori was talking to Carl by the cars and Lochie was surreptitiously keeping a protective eye on Rick as he paced thoughtfully. Daryl hesitated for just a fraction of a second, then he leaned closer against her, exerting just enough pressure to pass on the message. She briefly returned the pressure, momentarily letting her guard down long enough to rest her weight against him and let him shoulder the burden.

If he saw the tiny tears which trickled over her still bruised cheekbone or felt the way her entire body trembled, he didn't comment and after a while she drew back, reeled everything back inside and was ready to face them when Carol announced breakfast.

* * *

><p><strong>LadyLecter47<strong> – thanks here's some more for you :D

**eloquent dreams** – I can't wait for Merle to come back so I can decide how he's going to handle my characters :D very excited!

**LittleRin26** – absolutely

**SaraLostInes** – that was my thinking, there shall be plenty more Lochie/Rick to come don't you worry

**Synvara** – here's your update, hope it satisfies


	25. Chapter 17

A/N: Don't own (although I'd love to have my very own Norman Reedus :D) don't sue!

Lyrics are from 'Rain' by Patty Griffin

**Rain**

**Chapter Seventeen**

It's hard to listen to a hard, hard heart  
>Beatin' close to mine<br>Poundin' up against the stone and steel  
>Walls that I won't climb<br>Sometimes a hurt is so deep, deep, deep  
>You think that you're gonna drown<br>Sometimes all I can do is weep, weep, weep  
>With all this rain fallin' down<br>Strange, how hard it rains now  
>Rows and rows of big dark clouds<br>When I'm holding on underneath this shroud  
>Rain<br>It's hard to know when to give up the fight  
>Some things you want will just never be right<br>It's never rained like it has tonight before  
>Now, I don't wanna beg you, baby<br>For something maybe you could never give  
>I'm not lookin' for the rest of your life<br>I just want another chance to live  
>Strange, how hard it rains now<br>Rows and rows of big dark clouds  
>When I'm holdin' on underneath this shroud<br>Rain

Lochie sighed, leaning back against the tree and squinting across at T-Dog who was on watch. They still hadn't decided what to do with themselves, Rick didn't want them splitting up and risking getting cut off from each other but they couldn't stay here forever. They were all hungry and tired and sitting in the open was by no means safe. In the end Cassidy and Daryl had agreed to go scouting ahead to see what they could find. Rick hadn't been keen on losing his two best chances of survival but, as Daryl had argued, the two of them were most likely to stay alive and be able to find the rest of them should they be forced to move in their absence.

She glanced across at Rick who was discussing something with Daryl. Daryl was nodding, every now and then injecting a reply but his gaze kept flickering over Rick's shoulder. Lochie followed the direction of his bright blue eyes, already knowing what she'd see. Cassidy and Carl had moved a little away from the others, sitting on the back of the powder blue truck. They were deep in conversation, strands of Cassidy's long red hair lifting in the breeze. Lochie kicked at the ground gloomily. No one had ever looked at her that way, not once… Urgh, she was definitely going sappy. She needed to get a grip on herself.

She blinked when she realised that Rick was talking to T-Dog and Carol a few feet away. Eventually he made his way over to her looking serious. He came to a halt besides her, his shadow falling over her thighs. She looked up when he said he wanted to speak to her.

"Look Sheriff, can we just skip the 'you're a great girl, but' speech? I'm really not in the mood."

He frowned, sinking down onto his haunches besides her.

"You _are_ a great girl." He said quietly and she could feel him staring intently at her bowed head.

"Go on." She said cheekily and his lips flickered irresistibly into a smile. She sighed. "You're married. You're almost twice my age. The world is in the toilet. We might die any second. You have to show that these idiots can trust you, which they probably won't if they find out you kissed me." She paused for breath, feeling thoroughly miserable. "Save your breath, Sheriff. I know all the reasons you're going to use." She leaned forwards so suddenly that he reeled backwards in surprise, automatically catching her shoulders to keep his balance. "And do you know what? I don't care."

He stared at her, seemingly at a complete loss for words. Lochie knew that T-Dog and Carol were trying not to stare and that Lori was glaring a hole into Rick's broad shoulders. Oh so after treating him like garbage she gets all bent out of shape over this? Lochie sorely wanted to kiss him, just to hear Lori's hypocritical moral outrage. He was still looking at her as if she'd hit him over the head with something extremely heavy. His eyes flickered down to her lips, her cheeks pink with emotion and her eyes glittering brightly.

"Now. If you want to hide behind your excuses, that's fine. But I am not your whining two-faced wife and I will not sit back while you drown yourself in your own guilt. So if you want to put me off, try harder."

"I-" He paused, chewed on the inside of his cheek thoughtfully for a moment, then cocked an eyebrow. "I don't think I've ever met anyone like you." He said ruefully, sighing in a surrendering sort of way.

"Nope." She gave him a sad sort of grin that made guilt prickle in his stomach. "And you never will either." Lochie leaned back against the tree, closing her eyes tiredly. "I hope she's worth it, Sheriff. There isn't much point in being any more miserable than you have to be nowadays."

Rick stared at her for a moment longer but she kept her eyes shut tightly. He would never leave his pregnant wife, no matter how he felt. She knew that. Even if it might not be his baby. She glared at Lori who had flounced away from Rick before he'd even reached her. He scrubbed his hands over his face irritably, flicking a glance at her over his shoulder. Lochie stared impassively back. The sooner he wised up to Lori's attitude problem the better.

* * *

><p>"So what's with the long face, Eeyore?"<p>

Carl smiled weakly but he didn't laugh. He was glowering down at the grassy verge beneath the truck from under his hat, swinging his legs jerkily.

"I killed Shane." He blurted abruptly, sounding as if he expected her to spit at him or something.

She waited calmly without commenting and eventually Carl managed to get the whole story out. The parts he knew anyway. Cassidy pieced the rest of it together with what Daryl had told her earlier.

"So you shot a walker." She clarified bluntly.

Carl winced.

"Shane-"

"Was already dead." She interrupted. "It wasn't Shane anymore. You know that. Those things wandering around out there, they're just bodies. Bits of meat. Not people. Not anymore."

Carl didn't look convinced, he'd clearly heard all this from both of his parents. Cassidy studied him carefully for a long moment, then she sighed.

"Okay kid, listen up. I've never told anyone this before."

"Not even Lochie?" Carl asked suspiciously, peering at her from under the brim of the huge hat.

"Not even Lochie." She confirmed.

"Or Daryl?"

"Daryl is very good at figuring things out on his own." Cassidy conceded with a wry grin. "But I haven't had this conversation with him, no."

Carl was so surprised that she was actually going to tell him one of her many secrets that he forgot to look so miserable.

"Do you know what I did before this all happened?" She asked him. "I killed people. For a living."

He gaped at her. His mouth hung open for so long that when he tried to speak his voice came out as a croak. Cassidy held a hand up to halt him.

"There are three kinds of killers in this world, kid. The kind who kill because they have to, like you did. The kind who kill for pleasure. And the kind who kill for profit. Like me."

"But the people you…" Carl broke off with a gulp. "They were bad people, right?"

Cassidy looked him in the eye, her face drawn and tired but deadly serious.

"Some of them probably were. Some of them might not have been. I never asked why. I took the money and I did what I was paid to do. A lot of people would say I'm evil."

"I don't think you're evil." He hurriedly offered.

She gave him a weak smile.

"It's alright if you're afraid of me."

"I'm not!" Carl snapped shrilly, blushing pink when she eyed him in amusement. "You're still my friend. You never hurt me. Why should I be afraid of you?" He sounded almost defiant.

"Well okay then." Cassidy nudged him with her shoulder playfully and he grinned. "So a little less of the guilt-ridden sulking, please?" She jerked her thumb at Lochie who was looking very serious with Rick under a nearby tree. "We only need one emo around here and she's got the wardrobe for it."

Carl laughed, looking marginally happier and she ruffled his hair. He gave her a long considering look.

"You lost your bag."

She blinked at him in surprise.

"Your sister's stuff…"

She shrugged, not at all pleased to discover a lump in her throat.

"It's just stuff." She waved it off absently. "It was stupid to keep hanging onto it, anyway. Just slows you down."

She leapt down from the truck and his frown returned.

"You are going to come back, aren't you?"

"Obviously. I'm here, aren't I? Besides." She leaned down to whisper into his ear as Daryl made his approach. "I've got Dixon over here to protect me. I feel safer already."

She winked as she followed Daryl away and Carl hurriedly buried his giggles behind his hand.

* * *

><p>"You good?" Daryl grunted, breaking the tense silence that had surrounded them for the past few hours.<p>

"Fantastic. If I never see the fucking woods again, it'll be too soon." She muttered, swiping sweat from her forehead with the back of her arm.

Daryl shot her a look and she glared back stubbornly. Before she could open her mouth Daryl tensed as if turned to stone. Cassidy knew better than to question him and she let him grip her wrist, yank her towards him and toss her rather unceremoniously into a clump of bushes. Thorny bushes.

Before Cassidy could quite organise her limbs into a more comfortable position, the ground beneath them gave a sickening rumble and then vanished. Only the pair of them becoming entangled in the netting holding the camouflaged flooring prevented them from a very nasty, and probably rather sticky, end. Cassidy retrieved Joseph's knife from inside her jeans and cut them loose. They landed with an unceremonious thump on the muddy ground, inches from the planted sharpened branches.

"Nice instincts, hunter." She said pointedly as Daryl checked his bow for damage. "For a minute there we almost got caught in a trap."

He snarled at her, almost exactly like an animal caught in a trap and she rolled her eyes. Before either of them could start an argument that would most definitely become unpleasant, they were distracted by the tell-tale shuffling of a walker. Its distorted shadow passed over them but came to a halt, staggering around the edges of the hole. Daryl clapped an unnecessary hand over her mouth, pressing her back firmly against the muddy wall of the hole. They were a few feet down, not close enough to be reached or smelt by the walker. If they kept out of sight it should just keep going.

There was a loud startled shriek followed by the thunder of frantic running hooves and then the crash as something heavy hit the leafy floor. Cassidy tensed, eyes fixed firmly on the rim of the hole. The walker was huffing and whatever had fallen nearby was shrieking and thrashing around wildly. It sounded like it might be a deer. Cassidy shivered and Daryl cut her a swift glance. The shrieking was becoming gurgling and the thrashing became even more frantic. Neither of them had to guess very hard at what was going on.

"We'll have to wait it out." Daryl said quietly, dropping down onto the ground with his bow propped on his knee.

Cassidy followed suit, trying not to listen to the noises still drifting down from above them. That amount of racket would draw every walker in miles right on top of them. They could be down here for a long time.

* * *

><p>"How badly do you think Rick is freaking out right about now?" Cassidy commented idly.<p>

"Not as bad as Lochie will be." Daryl grunted.

Cassidy snorted. It was completely pitch black. They'd been sat down there for hours, listening to the walkers feasting on the trapped dear. It had been quiet for a couple of hours now but Daryl wasn't ready to try their luck yet.

"So." Daryl said quietly as if they were merely continuing a conversation they'd started earlier. "The scum who-" He paused with a confused frown. "Hurt your sister. Is that when you started-" He broke off.

Cassidy stared. She had been expecting something about her attack, not digging deep into her past.

"You really want to have this conversation?"

He couldn't see her at all even though he knew she was so close, just the sparkle of her eyes in the blackness around them.

"Not likely to get a better time."

She didn't reply for a moment, sitting silently besides him in the dark.

"They weren't my first." She finally said slowly. "I worked my way up to them. I hadn't planned on becoming this. I tried to hire someone, that's how I got into it. It took a long time to find someone serious, we're not exactly easy to find… not anyone good enough, anyway. I finally found a real professional when I was eighteen. I met him in a bar, told him everything. He listened to everything I had to say without saying one word. When I was done he looked at me some more… then he asked if I really wanted a stranger to do it… or would I rather learn how to do it myself." She broke off for a moment, lapsing into thoughtful silence. "I still don't know what made him offer me that chance… what he saw in me. How he knew I had it in me to be a killer. He told me to think about it."

He felt her lean back besides him and her body was rigid, muscles hard as iron and tight with tension. She'd taken on the same rigid tone as when she'd told him about her sister.

"It really doesn't take that much work to be a trained killer, you know." There was something under her tone, almost as if she were warning him. "You either have it in you or you don't. It's not nearly as glamorous as it looks on the big screen. I already knew how to fight, I'd been taking lessons since I was eleven. In the end there really isn't any training that can prepare you." She sighed. "Mikael taught me a lot; picking locks, how to trail someone without being seen, weapons training obviously, poisons and sedatives, torture techniques…"

He felt her eyes burning into him but he didn't reply, waiting for her to continue.

"I didn't use torture. Too messy. Complicated. Leaves too much evidence." He felt her shrug. "I was quite good, you know. Developing a reputation, raking in cash."

"You didn't torture them? Not even-"

There was a heavy silence between them and he felt her tense up even further, coiled like a spring until it must have been painful for her.

"You've only killed walkers so you wouldn't know… the intimacy when you kill someone. It creates such a connection between you, like you take a piece of them into yourself that you can never be rid of. I couldn't stand to be connected to them in any way. Not any more than we already are. Mikael did it. I didn't even watch. When it came to it I couldn't. I sat in an expensive hotel room in Paris, watching crappy movies while it was happening. I suppose it was a sort of intimacy, having Mikael do it." She snorted in a sort of flat amusement. "Even if I had to pay him to do it."

Daryl felt jealousy snaking to life in his gut, clawing up through his lungs and his hand clenched convulsively on the bow in his lap. His breathing must have hitched because she was looking at him again. Her eyes shining brightly. She read him as well in the dark as she could in the light and she stifled a snicker.

"Don't worry, he didn't initiate me into the arts of love-making while he was at it." She mocked. "I wasn't his type." He felt her hand snaking down his thigh. "I'm missing a vital piece of anatomy. So. Do we do your murky past now?"

He remained silent but she wasn't surprised. She pressed in tighter against his side and he felt her head nuzzling into the crook between his chin and shoulder.

"I don't suppose it really matters anymore. Who we were." She felt the scratch of his stubble against her forehead as he turned towards her in the dark. "I guess we could be whoever we want to be now."

"Who do you want to be?" He asked in a very strange voice, his breath warm against her hair.

"I don't know. I always liked who I was anyway." He felt her smile against his collarbone, the silky tickle of her long eyelashes as she blinked. "I wouldn't have minded being a princess though." She said thoughtfully.

"A princess." He snorted in disbelief.

"What's wrong with that? You get to wear a crown, order people around a lot and no one can answer back."

His silence was completely disbelieving.

"Hey you've only seen me in my casual clothes, I can assure you that once I slip into an expensive dress I could blend in with the best of the royal crowd."

Now that he did believe.

"Sure." He felt her smirking against him. "I bet you'd be the only broad there who went commando under that expensive finery, though."

"Hey! That only happened once and if that creepy Count hadn't tried to put his hand down the back of it, no one would have ever known what was under that dress." She paused thoughtfully for a moment. "I love that dress. Black velvet. Floor length. Backless. Couldn't wear underwear without ruining the line. Made my ass look incredible." She sighed. "Probably gone along with all the rest of my worldly belongings."

"I can't believe we're sitting here talkin' about clothes." He grumbled.

She opened her mouth to retort but hurriedly snapped it closed when something splattered her face. She touched it warily but it wasn't warm or foul smelling as anything from a walker would be. It tasted like rain. Great. Within minutes it had become a deluge, heavy raindrops thundering onto their exposed heads and drenching their clothes.

"We just have all the luck." Cassidy grumbled, swiping her sopping hair out of her eyes.

He felt her scramble to her feet, a sudden cool draught filling the space and chilling his side where she'd been sitting. Her feet sank straight into the churning mud, sucking her down a few inches. He could only see her outline through the backdrop of sheets of silver rain.

"Come on, boost me up before we drown down here." She ordered.

He cupped his hands so she could clamber out of the hole, slipping and sliding against the muddy walls. It had been well made but not reinforced and the mud was crumbling in slick chunks, rolling over both of them as they climbed out of the hole. What was left of the deer lay to one side. A few walkers were still grouped around it but the sheets of rain masked them and their scent from the predators. They stayed as low and as silent as they could when the ground kept absorbing their heavily booted feet and each footstep emitted a loud sucking noise. Cassidy was quite content to follow Daryl's lead. The trees all looked exactly the same to her through the rain, which was only getting heavier, but Daryl seemed to know where he was going. She kept close to his back so she didn't lose him, keeping just enough distance between them in case they were attacked.

If they were attacked it would be impossible to see it coming through this. If it was this bad in the midst of a bunch of trees, she'd hate to see how bad it was out on the road. She thought longingly of the creepy farm that had at least included an intermittently warm shower. She could feel mud slick on every inch of her. It had soaked into her clothes and clung damply to her bare skin. The rain didn't seem to be washing it away either, if anything it was caking it on even more. Her jeans felt as if they weighed a ton and the shirt was almost nonexistent it was so wet, except where splotches of mud streaked it.

As graceful as she was, her feet were sliding all over the place as they traipsed along the waterlogged path. After a while the trees started to thin which would have made visibility a little better if it hadn't merely let more rain pour down on them.

"You know Rick is totally going to lay an egg when he finds out we've been gone for so long and we haven't found anything." Cassidy muttered as they emerged from the trees which sort of like stepping out of a shower and into a waterfall. "I didn't even think this sort of rain existed."

He ignored her, squinting through the rain up and down the road. They had only emerged a few yards from where they'd been camping but the area was deserted. Figuring they would do what they'd done with Sophia if they'd left of their own accord, Daryl stamped over to the truck Rick had been driving and yanked the door open. Scrawled in what looked like lipstick on the inside of the window was a short message telling them they'd had to move further down the road.

"We could keep going, catch up to them in a few hours." Cassidy estimated, touching the sticky lipstick to see how long it had been on the window.

She didn't think it was possible to actually get any wetter, her clothes were completely saturated and the rain was now simply bouncing off her. Her hair was so wet the weight had dragged it out of the knot she'd tied it into.

"Won't get two feet in this." He grunted darkly.

"Okay then."

She circled around the truck to where they'd moved Daryl's bike. It was sheltered between the truck and a tree and, given the slanting direction of the rain, was almost dry. She dug around in his saddle bags until she'd retrieved a relatively clean towel. She clambered into the back seat of the truck. Whilst the rain was still thundering down, it was still tolerably warm. The sudden downpour had not broken the muggy weather and Cassidy had no problems stripping down to her underwear to dry off with the towel. Daryl followed her in, taking the front seat once he was sure all the doors were locked and secured. The towel hit him in the face with a slap and he glowered. She smiled back at him sweetly, completely naked apart from the patches of mud.

"Hope they don't come back, that'd be awkward." She sighed, wiping a small clean patch on the window.

"Ya gonna sit like that all night?"

She shrugged, shooting him a wicked glance over her shoulder.

"Well I would slip into my favourite flannel pyjamas but they don't seem to be at hand right now."

If he'd been about to laugh he swallowed it when he glimpsed the bruises on her thighs and the tazer burns still vivid on her delicate skin.

"Come on, Dixon." She sighed. "Not now. Let it go."

He threw open the truck door and disappeared into the driving rain. She peered after him miserably. She had always been able to tease him out of his moods before but this time he wasn't biting. She wasn't sure what to do. She had wanted to show him that she was okay, that she'd been shaken by what had happened but that she was strong too. But now she was starting to think that his sullen mood wasn't because of how she was dealing with what had happened to her, it was how _he_ was dealing with it. She had no idea what to do with that. It had been so long since anyone but her had been affected by her escapades. She grabbed the towel from the front seat and wrapped it around her riskier zones, huddling miserably in it. This was why she didn't get involved with people.

She managed to hide her surprise when he reappeared, shoulders squared against the thundering rain as he yanked the door open and tossed something at her. He shook himself like a dog, which made almost no difference whatsoever, then climbed back into the car. Cassidy looked down at the bundle of material in her lap. It was one of her sweaters, an overly long grey one which almost fell to her knees when she had it on. She must have left it in his tent at some point. He was muttering to himself in the front seat as he stripped off his vest and carefully placed his bow on the dashboard.

"Well put it on." He snapped when he saw her still sitting there looking at the sweater with a strange look on her face.

"Dixon." She said sharply. "I'm in the back seat of a truck. I'm naked."

"I know." His vest landed with a discernable slop on the floor of the truck, weighed down by the water. "That's why I nearly drowned out there getting it."

"Dixon." She repeated irritably. "If you don't get your ass back here with me in three seconds flat, I will beat you to within an inch of your life."

He lifted his head to glare at her but she grabbed the front of his soaking shirt and yanked him over the front seat. He scrambled to catch his balance, swearing as his knee caught on the seat and he floundered face first into the rather stained musty backseat. She was giggling and he struggled to right himself so he could tear her a new one but then her mouth was there, pressed teasingly against his sending lightening through his veins. Sparks flew between them as her familiar fingers relieved him of his shirt. He kicked off his waterlogged boots as she pushed him down against the seat, her body warm and inviting above him. Her hair was dripping over her bare shoulder, the water running in rivulets into hidden corners of his body as she pressed tiny kisses along his throat, nipping gently at his earlobes. He opened his mouth reluctantly to tell her that she didn't have to do this but her hand clapped over it.

"I'm going to have my way with you, redneck. So shut up."

She felt him smirking against her wet fingers, his hands sliding under the damp towel.

"Have it your way, lady."

She grinned.

* * *

><p><strong>SaraLostInes<strong> - :D:D

**LisaBoston** – thanks, glad you enjoyed it

**SharonH** – I am too :D if I had my way she wouldn't find her way back to them at all, useless woman

**LadyLecter47** – thanks I feel loved :)

**eloquent dreams** – I'm glad you liked it, I think I'm going to run a little wild until the new series comes back on :D

**Synvara** – I hated Lori right from the beginning, she's just so pointless. There will be some Lori bashing in the next chapter and I actually can't wait to write it lol I'm so twisted.

**Samwise252** – thanks here you go

**JTellersOldLady** – me too, Daryl definitely deserves some love!


	26. Chapter 18

A/N: Don't own (although I'd love to have my very own Norman Reedus :D) don't sue!

Lyrics are from 'Rain' by Patty Griffin

**Rain**

**Chapter Eighteen**

It's hard to listen to a hard, hard heart  
>Beatin' close to mine<br>Poundin' up against the stone and steel  
>Walls that I won't climb<br>Sometimes a hurt is so deep, deep, deep  
>You think that you're gonna drown<br>Sometimes all I can do is weep, weep, weep  
>With all this rain fallin' down<br>Strange, how hard it rains now  
>Rows and rows of big dark clouds<br>When I'm holding on underneath this shroud  
>Rain<br>It's hard to know when to give up the fight  
>Some things you want will just never be right<br>It's never rained like it has tonight before  
>Now, I don't wanna beg you, baby<br>For something maybe you could never give  
>I'm not lookin' for the rest of your life<br>I just want another chance to live  
>Strange, how hard it rains now<br>Rows and rows of big dark clouds  
>When I'm holdin' on underneath this shroud<br>Rain

"Well. I haven't done that in a long time." Cassidy managed to get out between gulps of air.

Daryl gave her a funny look and she rolled her eyes.

"I meant the back seat of a truck part."

"First time I ever did it was in the back of a truck." Daryl murmured fondly. "The truck-bed actually."

"Classy." Cassidy scoffed, propping her feet up on the back of the seat to free up a little room on the narrow bench seat. "Eddie Finnigan." She sighed. "He was so hot, long blond hair, big brown eyes, motorbike. Three beers, two tequilas and my virginity vanished on a leather sofa in his dad's summer home. Never to be seen again."

He snorted. She elbowed him, wriggling around until she was lying flat on her back on top of him. In the relatively small space his long legs were bent at the knees, his thighs pressing lightly against hers where her feet were propped up. He had one arm behind his head and the other draped lazily over her waist, his dirty fingertips trailing languidly around her bellybutton and navel. He traced the barest feather light touch across the bruises on her thighs.

"He didn't even touch them." She murmured drowsily, her eyes fluttering closed. "Couldn't get through the layers of that fucking dress." She lifted her hand over her head, burying her fingers into his still damp hair. "I wouldn't have let it get that far. Apart from the unnatural strength from his sanity fleeing the vicinity, he hardly posed a threat at all." She rolled her head on his shoulder until she could nuzzle his collarbone teasingly. "No one but you has explored my hidden depths since last year, Dixon." She informed him tauntingly, then she paused. "Unless it was on a job, then it was usually to get close to a mark and it shouldn't really count."

He didn't reply but she saw his lips compress into a frown.

"You did that? Uh—used it to get close to guys… so you could-"

She swivelled her head until she could see him properly.

"Does that bother you?"

He shrugged. He still looked a little forlorn but the look was replaced almost immediately by stubborn indifference and she sighed.

"If it makes you feel any better, I usually faked it."

He blinked, opened his mouth, closed it again and then scowled. She grinned.

"Don't pout at me, redneck. There are so many more interesting things you could be doing with that sulky mouth." He glowered. "There's not much to do around here, you must have had to make your own entertainment. Don't tell me you haven't had your wicked way with hundreds of big-boobed farm girl Daisy Duke types in your time, Dixon."

His lips twitched irresistibly upwards and she felt a flush of pleasure surge through her chest. She was the only one who ever put that grin there, just her.

"Hundreds?" He repeated sceptically and she batted her eyelashes innocently. "Don't be so stupid."

"Are you trying to tell me I'm overestimating your sex appeal, redneck?" She purred, wriggling just enough to make him grunt warningly.

"Are you making fun of me?" He snapped.

"Not a bit. You're completely irresistible, you know."

He swore at her but his cheeks and chest were pink and not from the muggy heat they'd filled the car with. She wondered briefly what made him have such a low opinion of himself.

"We should probably find the others." She said in a tone of voice that did not indicate any desire to move in the near future. "It stopped raining a while ago."

Daryl squinted through the steamed up windows. The rain had ceased as suddenly as it had started while they had been too distracted to notice.

"It'll be dark soon." He murmured thoughtfully.

"If that translates to us spending the rest of the night inside this warm comfy truck rather than traipsing through the mud with nothing but a patch of wet grass waiting at the end of it, I am totally in favour." She stretched. "Can I rely on you to keep watch?"

He made a noise at the back of his throat and she grinned. Right now she was so comfortable that if a horde of walkers crawled across the car, she really wouldn't be too bothered about it.

* * *

><p>It was a strangely hot night and by the time they clambered out of the truck at dawn the next morning, the mud on the ground had hardened enough to walk on in their bare feet as they dragged on their still damp clothes. Daryl kept sliding side-long glances at her as she pulled his ruined shirt on. It was already too hot for the sweater and she tucked it back into his saddle bag.<p>

She helped him recover his bike from the mud and then sat on the hood of the truck while he checked it over, keeping watch. She felt a little thrill at the thought of riding on his bike with him. She knew Carol had ridden on it before and that sent a little quiver of strange emotions surging through her gut. Eventually he pronounced it in perfect condition and she clambered down from the truck excitedly. He pushed the bike onto the road.

He mounted the bike, giving everything a last check. He scowled when he realised that she was still standing by the truck staring at him with a strange look on her face. He grunted enquiringly and she grinned.

"I am so hot for you right now." She said, a wicked grin curling her lips.

He didn't reply, merely started the engine. She sighed regretfully and climbed on behind him. Her chest gave a little leap as they set off and for the first time in a long time a genuine surge of happiness shot straight through every inch of her. It was thoroughly exhilarating; the wind stretching out her hair and stinging her cheeks, Daryl's broad back pressed against her cheek, his scent seeping into her every pore, her arms tight around his waist and her knees pressed securely against his hips. Every time he took a breath her entire body rose and fell with his. She had never felt so connected to anybody. If she hadn't been so high off the feeling from riding with him, she would have been very concerned at the connection thrumming between them.

It didn't take long to find their new safe haven. It was a rickety old ramshackle wooden building that looked as if it might have been some sort of lodge at some point. Maggie was on watch and she saluted them from the roof as they pulled up. The tell tale roar of the bike had alerted the occupants of the lodge and Lochie came barrelling out of the front door, slamming it open so hard that bounced back and nearly took out T-Dog.

"Seriously?" She hissed furiously, hands on her hips and her force as black as thunder. "You're back less than twelve hours and you do a vanishing act again. If I have to take out your kneecaps to keep you in one place and therefore alive… I will."

Cassidy rolled her eyes.

"Calm down, don't have an aneurysm. There's a perfectly reasonable explanation."

She glanced over her shoulder at Daryl who was apparently relaying their uneventful night in the trap and failure to find any habitable buildings to Rick.

"What happened to you guys?"

Lochie shrugged as she followed Cassidy onto the wooden porch. The old warped wood protested creakily beneath their feet.

"A few walkers wandered into our makeshift camp. We managed to keep out of their way and when the rain started we used it as cover to beat a hasty retreat."

Cassidy didn't reply. She pushed open the door, greeted T-Dog politely and moved into the main room. There were a few scattered blankets heaped in the middle of the wooden floor and a small fire barely flickering in the grate. Lori was sitting by the fire, watching over Carl who was curled up at her feet still sound asleep. She gave Cassidy a dark look. Cassidy ignored her. She was about to find out if this place had any running water when a hand touched her shoulder. Adrenaline that was partly anger and partly fear shot through her entire system and she grabbed the hand, yanking it at a painful angle and whirling around. Glenn was so surprised by her sudden attack that he toppled forwards and would have landed quite hard on his face if she hadn't steadied him.

"Sorry." She said roughly, letting go of him and taking a step backwards.

Glenn shrugged, rubbing his sore wrist. He was clearly startled by her reaction but he didn't seem to take it personally.

"No problem." He eyed her closely for a moment but Maggie's voice calling for him filtered through the open door.

Cassidy caught T-Dog's eye and fought the urge to snicker when Glenn scampered for the door as if his jeans were on fire.

* * *

><p>"Hey."<p>

Lochie lowered the axe she'd been swinging at the logs with varying degrees of success. Her hands had been rubbed raw by the handle and she winced as she wiped the sweat from them on her denim shorts. Growing increasingly unable to cope with Lori and Carol's black mood hanging over them all until they were at each other's throats, she had taken refuge outside. Rick had told them all to stay within sight of the house for safety reasons so she'd attacked the task of chopping firewood to take her mind off of burying the rather blunt axe in Lori's spiteful face.

"Hey." She said breathlessly, swiping sweat from her eyes as Rick took the axe from her and took over chopping the wood.

He chopped up several logs in silence and Lochie leant back against a tree and watched. She had the feeling he just wanted to be near someone, someone who wouldn't judge or try to question his decisions or look to him for answers. Eventually, when his shirt was drenched in sweat and the pile of logs was severely diminished, he slouched down into the long grass.

"Do you want to talk about it?" She asked, sitting down cross-legged opposite him and leaning back against the impressive pile of wood they'd gathered between them.

"No." He said shortly, rubbing his hands over his face.

He frowned when he saw the red marks on his hands from the axe. He reached across and took Lochie's small pale hands in his. Angry red welts and blisters marred her palms. She shrugged it off, drawing her hands back into her lap. She managed to keep her mouth shut for a good ten minutes, which was something of a record for Lochie. She sat and watched him glare glumly into the distance, worry etching hard lines on his face, then she couldn't hold it in any longer.

"How can you stand her?" She blurted out with far more force than she had expected. "She's so bitter and insensitive. Always putting everybody else down as if she's the only one in the world with any problems. How can you stand the way she treats you? You lost your best friend! He betrayed you! He broke your heart, anyone can see that but all she sees is what you did. It doesn't even occur to her why you had to do it."

Rick was looking at her strangely, not angrily or sheepishly or even resignedly.

"I just… I don't understand." Lochie finished lamely, embarrassed at her outburst. She sighed, climbing wearily to her feet. "Never mind. I get it. You're so loyal and decent and honest. Even when it's hurting you. You're going to end up a martyr, Sheriff. You-" Lochie was interrupted by the startled exclamation escaping her when Rick suddenly latched onto her wrist.

She was so taken by surprise that she lost her footing and tumbled rather painfully back down into the grass, finding herself almost nose to nose with Rick where he'd tried to catch her. She forgot all about her probably bruised coccyx, her arm twisted at a painful angle behind her and her ankle throbbing nastily because his lips were warm and soft and seeking against hers. There was an urgency running hotly through him as she pressed her body against his, a need to feel understood, a connection with someone who wanted nothing from him but what he could actually give.

"I thought-" Lochie managed to get out when they finally surfaced for air. "I thought you didn't want to-"

"I never said I didn't want to." Rick cut across her.

"But-" Lochie seemed to be struggling with something internally. "No." She said firmly, disentangling herself somewhat reluctantly.

"You don't-"

"Oh I do. More than I probably should. But I don't want you to do something you're going to feel guilty about later." She gave him a wry look, straightening her shirt. "You already beat yourself up over everything else." She scowled at the sight of Lori stomping out of the house looking thunderous. "When you figure out what it is you really want, please let me know."

They were still sitting there looking intently at each other in silence when Lori reached them, looking ready to breathe fire. She let fly almost immediately, calling Lochie several names that could actually have been applied to her own character and actually grabbing the younger girl by the shoulder and shaking her. They were close enough to the house for the ruckus to bring the others running. Lochie wrenched out of Lori's grasp, her face flaming with anger as much as embarrassment at the scene the brunette had caused.

"You stay the hell away from my husband." Lori seethed, a further string of expletives escaping her when Lochie shot a glance at Rick.

"Stop it, Lori." He ordered in a quiet voice that shook with suppressed anger.

"I haven't started with you yet!" Lori screeched, whirling on him angrily.

She reached out to slap him but Lochie grabbed her arm and shoved her until she lost her balance and wobbled precariously. Lori was bigger that she was but she was still just a housewife, and Lochie had been in her fair share of scraps in her lifetime. Not to mention sparring with Cassidy. Before the two of them could actually come to blows, Cassidy grabbed Lochie around the waist and practically tossed her towards the house. Lochie paled but Rick nodded grimly, an interaction that did not go unnoticed by Lori. She opened her mouth but Cassidy cut her off by grabbing her raised arm.

"It's not in my nature to injure a pregnant woman, lady." Cassidy said in a deathly quiet voice that sent a shiver down their collective spines. "But if you don't learn to keep your trap shut I might rethink my stance on the subject."

Lori opened her mouth angrily but Cassidy tightened her grip until the bones in her skinny wrist ground together painfully and she whimpered.

"You brought this down on yourself." Cassidy continued calmly, every word laced with venom and warning. "You chose to screw your husband's best friend and play with his emotions. Then when things got out of hand you cowered behind the man you'd managed to forget about weeks after his supposed death and you used your son as a weapon to play them off against each other. And after doing your best to turn them on each other you have the fucking gall to blame Rick for what he had to do. You spineless, heartless fucking bitch."

Lori was mouthing like a fish, Lochie had hustled Carl back to the house before he could hear too much and the rest of the spectators gathered around them were frozen in amazement. Rick had automatically tried to leap between the two women when Cassidy had grabbed Lori but Daryl had slid directly into his path without a sound. Rick had come to a halt, unable to move closer without shoving Daryl out of the way. His booted feet were planted firmly as if he expected the Sheriff to charge at him but there was no yielding in his stance and it was quite clear to Rick that he would not let him near Cassidy until she had finished whatever she intended to do. It occurred to him, rather distantly at the back of his mind, that should he try to reach Cassidy again, Daryl would probably lash out without even thinking about it or hesitating.

"Everyone makes mistakes. Start facing up to it instead of blaming everybody else for your fuck ups. And if you ever, ever-" Cassidy leaned in so closely that Lori could actually see the anger flaming in her jewel-bright eyes. "Utter one poisonous word to my friend again…" She trailed off ominously and a ripple of unease ran through them all. Cassidy let go of her and stalked away.

A visibly shaken Lori remained where she was, apparently not trusting that her knees would hold her up. She turned to Rick but his face contorted into a mask of fury and he walked away from her.

To his amazement it was Daryl who followed him a few feet into the trees away from the others. He stopped besides him in silence for a few moments, letting him get control of his anger and calm the swirl of emotions thundering through his head. When he had a handle on himself again, he glanced at his companion. Daryl looked slightly brooding but then he always looked like that, the worry line had vanished from between his eyebrows though. He was clearly as pleased as Daryl ever got about Cassidy's safe return and Rick felt something sickening churn in his gut. When was the last time he had felt instantly better just at the sight of Lori?

"You good?"

Daryl's voice broke through his reverie and he nodded, turning to lead the way back to the house. As they mounted the steps onto the wooden porch, Daryl's entire posture changed, as if a heavy weight had been lifted from his shoulders. Cassidy was sitting on the wooden rail of the porch, talking in a low voice to Lochie who was perched opposite her. Something indefinable flickered over her face and Rick knew she'd registered Daryl's arrival although she didn't so much as blink in their direction. Rick felt suddenly weary. Had he and Lori ever been that connected? So in tune with each other that even at twenty paces they knew exactly what the other was doing and feeling, maybe even thinking? He wanted to forget about the lives depending on him and lie down with his head in someone's lap. Someone he felt something for.

He hesitated in the doorway. He couldn't face Lori right now, or the questioning looks he'd have to field from the others. Or the lost look that would no doubt be clouding Carl's face. As if she sensed some of his thoughts, Cassidy slid down from the rail.

"Come on, redneck. You need to finish what was started on that bike."

Daryl looked momentarily puzzled but Cassidy yanked him off the porch and into the trees before he could say anything. Rick contemplated sitting on the rail besides Lochie but he felt it was safer to lean against the wooden wall of the house instead.

"I really don't want to talk about it." Lochie said sharply, determinedly not looking at him. "All you people ever do is talk and I really don't have the energy anymore. I'm not playing this game."

Rick couldn't seem to find any words to say, they were all gathering into a painful lump in his chest. He was sorry that he had clearly hurt this girl, sorry that he wouldn't be able to explore the heat she seemed to create in his spine, sorry that he still felt so completely linked to Lori and the child that may not even be his, sorry that his sense of morality was coded so deep into his DNA. Mostly he was sorry that he had discovered how different things were when he was with her. It would be that much harder to stay away.

"We'll just pretend none of this ever happened." She held her hand out and he stared at it in confusion. "I'm Lochie."

Picking up on the idea he shook her hand.

* * *

><p><strong>LadyLecter47<strong> – I really hate Lori. Fingers crossed that they kill her off in the next season.

**eloquent dreams** – well one must leave some things to the imagination :D

**zaii** – sorry but there will be plenty of steaminess to come, what else are they going to do in the middle of nowhere? :D

**theroadtohell** – thanks :)


	27. Chapter 19

A/N: Don't own (although I'd love to have my very own Norman Reedus :D) don't sue!

Lyrics are from 'Rain' by Patty Griffin

**Rain**

**Chapter Nineteen**

It's hard to listen to a hard, hard heart  
>Beatin' close to mine<br>Poundin' up against the stone and steel  
>Walls that I won't climb<br>Sometimes a hurt is so deep, deep, deep  
>You think that you're gonna drown<br>Sometimes all I can do is weep, weep, weep  
>With all this rain fallin' down<br>Strange, how hard it rains now  
>Rows and rows of big dark clouds<br>When I'm holding on underneath this shroud  
>Rain<br>It's hard to know when to give up the fight  
>Some things you want will just never be right<br>It's never rained like it has tonight before  
>Now, I don't wanna beg you, baby<br>For something maybe you could never give  
>I'm not lookin' for the rest of your life<br>I just want another chance to live  
>Strange, how hard it rains now<br>Rows and rows of big dark clouds  
>When I'm holdin' on underneath this shroud<br>Rain

"Why do men lie?"

Cassidy was spending her watch leaning over the edge of the wooden roof with her rifle set up besides her. Lochie was sprawled on her back glaring moodily up at the clear blue sky and picking at the chipped paint on her nails.

"Men lie for the same reason women fake orgasms, because it's much less hassle than not doing it."

Lochie snorted.

"Don't tell me the Sheriff is a liar." Cassidy commented in some amusement. "You're supposed to be watching that side of the road, by the way."

"You know perfectly well that you're just as aware of what's happening on that side as the one you're facing." Lochie grumbled touchily. "No, I don't think he's ever lied. Unless you count lying to himself."

Cassidy didn't reply. Lochie had been sullen and touchy since her conversation with Rick the previous afternoon but she could tell the little imp was miserable.

"What are they talking about?" Lochie asked, crawling over to sit besides her with her back against the wooden rail.

"Daryl wants to go on another summer home hunt."

Lochie squinted over her shoulder at Rick and Daryl a few feet away by the wood chopping pile. Cassidy was reminded uncomfortably of the various arguments between Rick and Shane that had started off in just the same way.

"Are you going to go?" Lochie asked, turning her shoulder against the two men below them.

Cassidy frowned. Lochie hadn't even contemplated whether she'd stay or not if Daryl went on a nature hike, she'd just assumed she'd go with him.

"I take it Rick isn't too chipper about the idea."

Cassidy glanced at the dark weary face of their leader.

"He doesn't really have a choice. We can't stay here forever, we don't have any food and this wooden shack won't be much of a defence if another horde arrives. And the place really wasn't built for more than a couple of people to inhabit for any amount of time. If I have to listen to Glenn snoring for one more night I'll rip out his oesophagus and beat him to death with it."

"Colourful." Lochie sighed, gave herself a shake and sat up. "Right. I've had enough."

"Going to jump his bones finally?"

"Shut up." Lochie glowered. "It's the end of the world and I'm not going to spend the rest of my probably short lifespan moping about over a guy. Especially not when you and your beau are about to take off on a kinky weekend away."

"Wow." Cassidy stared at her. "That's… you really have a skewed view of things."

Lochie shrugged. Her grin was back in place although it looked a little forced, a little tighter around the edges than it should be.

"Well you have to take what you're given. A dirty weekend in Paris it is not, but the essentials are still the same."

"Of course. Except for the possibility of being eaten alive. Pretty sure you don't get that on a dirty weekend in Paris."

"Only the really kinky ones."

Cassidy rolled her eyes. Muted voices filtered through the roof towards them. After a moment Daryl's head appeared over the edge of the roof. He squinted at them, clambering heavily onto the roof. Lochie was eyeing him narrowly, a thoughtful crease between her brows and Daryl shot a wary glance at Cassidy.

"What?" He finally snapped.

"You need a haircut." Lochie told him decisively.

"'Scuse me?"

Daryl looked from one to the other as if hoping for an explanation.

"Stay there." Lochie ordered, scrambling over the edge of the roof and squirreling her way down the side of the building.

"She's jokin', right?"

Cassidy shrugged.

"I doubt it." Her lips curled into a wicked grin as they heard Lochie making her way back up to the roof. "You're really going to let her loose about your head with a pair of sharp scissors?"

Daryl looked rather faint but he managed to scowl at her as Lochie reappeared.

"Sit." She ordered.

He glared but she ignored him, kneeling behind him and examining his tangled locks. Water was rather scarce but the rain had cleared most of the blood and dirt from his shaggy hair. She combed her fingers through it roughly, completely ignoring his curses when her nails caught in tangles. He glowered at Cassidy as if it were entirely her fault when Lochie brandished the scissors. In the end, and mainly to keep from laughing at the martyred look on his face, Cassidy turned back to her watch. Lochie's inane chatter filtered over her as she scanned the area carefully. It was still relatively early but the sun was climbing high and it was already burning the back of her neck. It was going to be a hell of a hot day.

Daryl looked perfectly capable of strangling Lochie as she snipped at his hair but he seemed to sense that the kid needed something and he reluctantly held his grumpy silence until she was done. He did shoot Cassidy a murderous glare when she peeked at them though, looking for all the world as if he expected to be minus an ear before the ordeal was over.

Lochie finally sat back on her heels and scrutinised her handiwork. Deciding it would do, she made a hasty exit on the pretext of giving Carl a haircut. Daryl ran his hands over his head self-consciously.

"Relax, Dixon. She just gave you a trim." Cassidy yanked his head, examining it from all angles. "No bald patches to speak of."

Daryl grunted. She continued to tug on his hair, scratching her nails pleasantly over his scalp and working the delicate skin until he was tingling from head to toe.

"So when do we head out?"

"Where?" He hedged, staring out at the road they'd travelled down less than a day ago.

"Don't play with me, redneck."

He reached behind him, looping one arm around her knees and tugging until she slid quite pliantly into his lap. She eyed him in amusement, one hand still tangled in his hair.

"I know what you and Rick have been whispering about all night."

He tilted his face down to look at her, his eyes dark and the slant of the sun behind him casting shadows across his features.

"You a mind reader now?"

She shrugged, leaning back against the warm wood of the roof on the palms of her hands and looking at him steadily.

"Just yours, Dixon. It's pretty simple, lots of pictures."

The corner of his mouth twitched but his brow was still furrowed thoughtfully.

"You're not going without me." She said warningly.

"Someone has to keep these people alive. They ain't too good at it on their own."

"Dixon-"

"It'll be safer here."

"Are you serious?"

"They need someone—"

"I don't give a shit, you are not going off into the wilderness on your own."

"I don't need you to protect me, lady."

"Don't you pull that macho bullshit with me. These people were managing just fine before I got here."

He muttered something but she was quite implacable, no amount of arguing, threatening, cajoling, or even something that smacked a little of entreating, would move her. When he threatened to tie her up and leave her here until he was far enough away she pointed out quite calmly that when they played those kinds of games she always managed to slip out of his knots sooner than he'd hoped.

"You sure you wanna come?"

She tilted her chin defiantly.

"Well someone has to keep an eye on your ass, redneck." Her lips curled wickedly, one hand vanishing into the gap of his shirt. "After all it is such a nice ass, it would be a shame to see it all decayed and nasty."

He pursed his lips to keep from grinning and she smiled brilliantly at him.

"You can't just use sex to get your way." He protested grouchily although his cheeks were tinged pink.

"Oh? I rather think I can." She said cheerfully, dragging her nails along the planes of his chest.

"Not if I don't let you have your way with me you can't." He argued mutinously, stubbornly trying to remain on target when she was pressed quite so deliciously into his lap.

"Have my way?" She repeated, distracted from her caresses. "Really? Maybe I could ravish you. Impune your honour. Take liberties with your person in the long grass-"

"What the fuck are you talking about?" He snapped testily, not entirely sure what she was saying but certain from the tone of her voice that she was teasing him again.

"Well I could stop talking and go back to the seducing, it's really up to you."

"I-"

"Hey, I'm taking over watch."

Glenn's cheerful voice interrupted the brewing argument and Daryl shoved her off his lap. She didn't take it personally, getting slowly to her feet and moving across the roof to take her rifle apart again.

* * *

><p>The subject wasn't mentioned again for the rest of the day but Daryl was well aware of Cassidy watching his every move in case he tried to leave without her. He'd been helping Rick take stock of their supplies, a relatively simple task since they didn't have much of anything, and was heading out to answer nature's call when she appeared out of nowhere besides him.<p>

"Where are you going?" She demanded sweetly, falling into step with him as he strode towards the trees.

"Takin' a leak. You gonna follow me?"

"Maybe."

He muttered curses under his breath but she only grinned at him and vanished as suddenly as she'd appeared. He felt slightly flustered and bemused, completely thrown at how tenaciously she was insisting on coming with him. It had been a long time since anyone had cared about him risking his neck. When he was done he did a quick patrol around the land they'd taken over, checking for tracks and signs of walkers or trespassers. It would be dark in less than an hour, the rest of them were squashed into the lodge. It was separated into two rooms, neither of which were particularly big. They were way past arguing over everybody bunking together, although Hershel had cast a beady eye over Glenn when he'd set up a raggedy blanket besides Maggie's.

Carol, Lori and Carl were sleeping in one room, T-Dog on watch by the window and Hershel, Maggie, Beth and Glenn were settling down in the other. Lochie had spent the previous two nights curled up in the corner away from everybody else but tonight she planned to sleep on the roof.

"Don't be so stupid." Cassidy was arguing when Daryl stomped into the room. "It's freezing. You'll die of hypothermia, you idiot."

"A few hours won't kill me." Lochie said breezily, rolling a rather moth-eaten blanket up and tucking it under her arm.

Before Cassidy could argue further Lochie wandered off to set up her makeshift bed.

"I'm on watch tonight." Rick said quietly. "I'll keep an eye on her."

Cassidy eyed him thoughtfully but decided against commenting. Neither of them seemed to have noticed Daryl's arrival in the rapidly darkening room.

"You're going with him."

It was less of a question, more of a resigned statement and Cassidy jerked her head.

"Dawn." She gestured at the small pile of raggedy old clothes and what was left of their ammunition, which was all that constituted their supplies. "Not going to take much preparing."

He gave a mirthless half chuckle and scrubbed his hands over his stubbled chin.

"It's the only thing to do." She said shortly, lowering her voice slightly when Carl shifted in his sleep in the corner. "We can't stay here forever. It's hardly secure. I'm going to leave Lochie my rifle, she's a good shot when she concentrates. You'll be safe enough until we can find something better. Your people need food and somewhere relatively protected. This shack won't provide either."

Rick looked torn, aware that they needed help but loathe to split their little group up. Eventually he swallowed the rest of his protestations and glanced at Daryl, leaning calmly against the wall taking everything in.

"Be careful."

Cassidy didn't reply and Carl called out to Rick before he could say anything else. Cassidy pushed open the door and disappeared onto the porch. After a moment, Daryl followed. She was perched on the rail, peering out into the rapidly darkening night thoughtfully. He knew she'd sensed his approach because he saw her shoulders tighten fractionally, then release when she realised who it was.

"See somethin'?"

She shrugged.

"Trees. Whole lotta trees." She cocked her head slightly towards him. "You think we're going to find salvation out there?"

Taken aback at her serious tone, he frowned. She rolled one slender shoulder in a half shrug, leaning back against him. It made some of the doubts he'd been experiencing since she'd told him of her attack fade to know that it never entered her head that he might let her fall. He contemplated putting an arm around her waist but he figured she might find that hilariously cheesy so he put one hand on the rail on either side of her instead.

"We should rest. Get goin' at dawn, 'fore it gets too hot."

She was so quiet that for a moment he thought she might not have heard him.

"Can we just-" Her voice did something strange and she paused. "Can we stay here, just for a bit longer?"

He was more surprised by the vulnerability in her voice than the actual question. He nodded and she pressed back against him briefly.

"Sure, Red. Sure."

* * *

><p>Rick peered into the darkness. He'd been on watch for a few hours, long enough for his eyes to adjust to the complete darkness. The night was uncomfortably still, the silence broken every now and then by the twittering of a bird or the noise of an animal in the trees. He heard the blankets scratching across the wood as Lochie rolled over. She was tucked under the lip of the roof a few feet away. He glanced over his shoulder. He could see the glitter of her eyes in the dark.<p>

"Can't sleep?"

He heard her shrug. After a moment she padded barefoot across the roof and sat down besides him.

"Anything?"

He shook his head, aware out of the corner of his eye when she drew her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around them.

"If anything did come near us we'd never be able to see it in this anyway."

He gestured up at the dark sky. It was a cloudy night, preparing for another storm, and there were very few stars and only a patch of the moon was visible.

"They barricaded the door." Lochie said reassuringly. "Anything trying to get in will create plenty of noise."

He could feel the heat emanating from her slender body besides him, could practically hear her chest rising and falling as she breathed. When she reached up to scratch an insect bite on her arm, her fingers brushed against him through the thin material of his shirt. He felt goosebumps lift the hairs on his arms.

"Are you cold?" Lochie asked in concern when his body gave an involuntary shiver.

He didn't reply, too embarrassed at how his body had reacted to such brief contact. He felt her get to her feet, heard her cross the roof again and then she returned with the scratchy musty blanket. She slung it over his shoulders, the knuckles of her hand brushing against the back of his neck accidentally. If she felt his muscles tense at her touch, she didn't acknowledge it. She sat back down cross-legged besides him. After a moment's hesitation, she curled one corner of the blanket around her shoulder. Lochie was so confident and brazen that the hesitation told him more about how she felt than if she'd actually said it. There was barely an inch of space between their shoulders, her knee tucked under where his were cocked up by his feet propped against the edge of the roof. The tension buzzed thickly between them inside the blanket. When she reached up to tuck a stray lock of hair behind her ear, he could see that her hand wasn't entirely steady. The hair fell back into place as soon as her hand rested in her lap again. He brushed it off her cheek and she started slightly, giving him a sheepish grin when he withdrew his hand.

"Sorry."

Not entirely sure what she was apologising for, he shrugged.

"You shouldn't be on watch. You should be sleeping." She said suddenly, startling him into blinking at her in bemusement. "You don't rest enough as it is."

He shrugged again, leaning his forearms on his cocked knees.

"You can sleep if you like, I'll take over."

He darted an annoyed look at her.

"I am not going to sleep and leaving you here."

"Why? Because I'm a girl?" She huffed irritably, thoroughly offended at the implication.

"No." Rick denied hurriedly. "Because it's my watch."

"Uh huh." Lochie said disbelievingly. "Whatever Mr Chauvinist."

"I am not-" Rick broke off with some difficulty when he realised she was grinning at him.

"I'm yanking your chain, Sheriff." She giggled, flicking the lock of hair off her face again. "My feet are cold." She frowned.

He felt her wiggling around as she struggled to get out of the zippered hoody she had on.

"What's wrong?" He asked when she cursed.

"The zip's stuck." She said around the bleeding finger she'd shoved into her mouth.

Rick looked at her hesitantly but she was scowling down at the caught zip. He fought with the metal zipper for a moment, his hands not entirely steady as he slipped one inside the confines of the jumper to get a better grip. She didn't say anything although he felt the muscles in her stomach contract as his fingers brushed against the thin vest she was wearing. He managed to unfasten it and she murmured her thanks, shrugging out of the jumper and wrapping it around her feet.

They talked quietly for a while, not about things as they were now but the old days; music and books and football. And Shane. The old Shane who Rick had grown up with and knew like the back of his hand. After a couple of hours Lochie's replies became more and more infrequent and he realised she'd fallen asleep, her head propped against his shoulder. He tucked the blanket a little more securely around her now bare arm. He was looking out for her the same way he looked out for Carl, he told himself firmly. She was barely out of her teens, he reminded himself a little desperately as her small hand crept into the nook of his arm in her sleep.

* * *

><p>A hand at his throat woke him up. He jerked and the hand retreated.<p>

"Ssssh. You fell asleep."

He blinked blearily. It was still dark out. He must have dozed off for an hour or two. Lochie had been tucking the blanket under his chin, much as he had done for her earlier, when she'd woken him. He had set up for his watch in a corner of the roof with his back to the trees where he could see the road from both sides. When he'd fallen asleep he had relaxed back against the lip of the roof until he was almost horizontal. Lochie leaned over him. She was tousled from her nap, her hair sticking up all over the place and her cheeks slightly flushed. Without thinking, and still partly asleep, Rick slipped one hand along her throat, tangling his fingers into her hair. She peered down at him, not looking surprised at the unexpected caress but wary.

"I told you to make your mind up, Sheriff." She murmured haltingly.

His mind appeared to have taken leave of his body because his hand tightened of its own accord, drawing her down towards him. He felt her resisting slightly as her lips touched his, holding back. His mind was reeling, reminding him that he could not toy with this girl because it could only end badly but his body wasn't listening and his thundering heart didn't seem to have a problem with what was happening.

Lochie's qualms seemed to have been quelled too because her hands were working the buttons of his shirt. Any hidden curiosities he may have had about whether she was actually still as innocent as she looked were quickly dispelled as her nimble nifty fingers caressed him everywhere. Apparently hands that could lift a million dollar diamond necklace from a museum without causing even a hiccup in their top security measures, were also rather excellent at creeping into hidden crevices and eliciting surprising sensations.

Rick tried hard to remember all the reasons he was supposed to be staying away from her but it was impossible when she gazed up at him so thoroughly endearingly, her heart-shaped face so open and trusting beneath him. Of course those big innocent eyes masked a thoroughly wicked streak that rapidly dissolved any of his fears.

* * *

><p><strong>VileMalapert<strong> – thanks I'm glad you liked it lol hope you like this one too :P

**LadyLecter47** – fingers crossed! Oh there'll be plenty more Lori bashing to come, I'm rather enjoying this plotline :D

**JTellersOldLady** – absolutely! She definitely needs a punch, if they hadn't knocked her up I totally would have written it too.

**Sunnymuffins** – I wish I could, there will be more bashing to come though. Yay :D

**zaii** – I'd much rather have Shane still in the show than Lori, I miss Shane he was awesome :(

**SaraLostInes** – oh she definitely did, and more. Useless bint.

**eloquent dreams** – I don't mind being cute with Rick and Lochie, I imagine Rick would be adorably cute as a date. I don't think anyone likes Lori, she's just so horrible urgh!

**SharonH** – oooo I sincerely hope she gets a horrible long drawn out messy painful death. Bitch.


	28. Chapter 20

A/N: Don't own (although I'd love to have my very own Norman Reedus :D) don't sue!

Lyrics are from 'Rain' by Patty Griffin

**Rain**

**Chapter Twenty**

It's hard to listen to a hard, hard heart  
>Beatin' close to mine<br>Poundin' up against the stone and steel  
>Walls that I won't climb<br>Sometimes a hurt is so deep, deep, deep  
>You think that you're gonna drown<br>Sometimes all I can do is weep, weep, weep  
>With all this rain fallin' down<br>Strange, how hard it rains now  
>Rows and rows of big dark clouds<br>When I'm holding on underneath this shroud  
>Rain<br>It's hard to know when to give up the fight  
>Some things you want will just never be right<br>It's never rained like it has tonight before  
>Now, I don't wanna beg you, baby<br>For something maybe you could never give  
>I'm not lookin' for the rest of your life<br>I just want another chance to live  
>Strange, how hard it rains now<br>Rows and rows of big dark clouds  
>When I'm holdin' on underneath this shroud<br>Rain

Rick blinked against the grittiness of his tired eyes, his brain slowly working through why he was lying wrapped in a blanket on the roof. He shot into a sitting position as the events of last night flooded his brain. He looked around the roof. Lochie was sitting in Cassidy's usual watch position, her back to him. Rather than reassuring him after he'd clearly abandoned his watch, a surge of guilt flooded over him. He was supposed to be protecting these people and he'd gone to sleep and left a child to take over. A child he had taken advantage of. He put his face in his hands. Maggie's voice startled him and he jumped to his feet.

"I'd stay up here where it's safe if I were you." Maggie advised drily. "Cassidy and Daryl are at it again."

By "it" she clearly meant they were in the middle of another argument. He crossed the roof and peered over the edge. They were a few feet away from them clearly disagreeing about something even if they hadn't raised their voices. Daryl had his arms folded over his chest and his back was rigid, Cassidy was gesturing a lot with her hands. Rick got the impression that if she had been able to reach something those gestures would have turned to rather impressive pitches in the general direction of Daryl's head.

"Apparently Cassidy doesn't want to take the bike in case they run out of fuel and have to ditch it and Daryl really doesn't want to leave it behind." Maggie informed them cheerfully, stifling a yawn.

Lochie snorted and rolled her eyes. She caught Rick's gaze and the amusement vanished as if she'd flipped a switch. He could see shyness warring with perplexity before she averted her eyes. Rick felt sick. What had he done to her? Maggie was looking at the two of them curiously and Rick cleared his dry throat, muttering something about speaking to Daryl before they left as he dashed for the exit.

* * *

><p>Cassidy could feel his presence behind her, looming and angry. He was furious that he had had to part with his beloved bike, leaving it in quite untrustworthy hands, and he blamed her entirely. She wasn't too bothered, he'd get over it. They'd been following the road for the best part of an entire day by now and they'd seen nothing. A few abandoned cars, a walker or two but no sign of anywhere remotely habitable. She glanced up at the sky. It would be dark in a couple of hours. They should probably start looking for somewhere to camp. Pausing to throw the theory at him, she miscalculated her feet. Caught by surprise she stumbled forwards a step. Daryl, used to her graceful fluid movements had been eyeing her increasingly jerky progress blackly for the last few hours. She'd been trying to hide it by stalking out in front of him and if he hadn't been so observant she probably would have succeeded. He grabbed her elbow and propelled her onto a large relatively flat rock set a little into the trees.<p>

"What're you-"

He cut her off with a glare and she sighed.

"My head hurts, that's all. It's nothing. It's still tender from being bounced off quite a few solid surfaces in that bunker."

This in no way reassured him, in fact his face got even grimmer. He pushed her head down so he could see her scalp, running rough probing fingertips over her delicate skin. When he was satisfied that her head was intact, he tilted her chin until he could look her directly in the eye. He stared at her intently, his dirty thumb soft against the delicate sensitive skin of her eyelids. He stared at her, so close she could see every silver fleck in his brilliant blue eyes, his surprisingly long lashes and the dirt and sweat engrained into his face. He touched her chin reprovingly and she managed to force her gaze back up from his pursed lips.

"I don't think you can see brain damage just by staring at me." She pointed out.

"Coulda scrambled your brains." He retorted flatly. "Tell me summat random."

"You're an overprotective pussy." She said immediately and he glowered.

"Well you didn't shake loose any hidden charm, anyway."

"Charm?" She snorted as he leaned away from her, rocking back on his heels. "I managed to charm you out of your jeans. Not that it took much."

"Likewise." He snapped.

"Hey I keep telling you, you're irresistible, redneck."

"And you're the kinda trouble my mamma warned me about."

She grinned.

"So are we going to sit on this rock all night?"

He pushed back into a standing position and squinted into the trees. She could see his brain working as he calculated the dangers of camping on the ground. She leant back against the rock, rather enjoying the way the waning sunlight splashed golden splotches across his bare arms, slick with sweat from their hiking. It still amazed her how just looking at him turned her stomach to liquid. She had had her share of boyfriends and boy toys and friends with benefits, but it had always been a brief flash of heat that had ebbed quickly. She didn't know if she was in love with him, she'd never been in love before but she figured she'd know if she was. That was what all the books and poems and songs said, right? She did know that he only had to crook a finger slightly in her direction and her knees would turn to water and her insides would somehow become as light as air. That whilst they had been separated the parts of her mind that weren't focusing on her survival would usually drift back to the image of him sleeping when she'd left. And she knew that if he asked her to just keep walking along this road for the rest of their probably short lives, she would. She leapt down from the rock and gave herself a shake.

"What?" He grunted when he realised she was staring at him.

"Nothing." She shrugged and he could have sworn she was blushing. "Just checking you out is all, you got a problem with that?"

He stared at her. She still looked exactly the same as she always had; red hair tumbling out of a messy topknot, green cat eyes staring fearlessly back at him, one hand on her slender hip, a sexy hint of cleavage peeking through the old wife-beater she had commandeered from his pack. It was one of Merle's actually but it looked much better on her. But there was something different. He couldn't quite put his finger on it. She seemed a little bit more real since her return. Before she had always been untouchable, an inaccessible beautiful half-wild creature he was never quite sure he could safely turn his back on.

"So we're sleeping up a tree, right?"

He blinked. She wasn't looking at him she was surveying the surrounding trees, apparently looking for the comfiest one. They didn't have a tent or anything just a ratty old blanket so setting up a shelter on the ground would just be dumb, even if they took it in turns to sleep.

"We've got about an hour before dark, let's see what we can find."

He turned and strode into the trees without waiting for her reply and she rolled her eyes at his departing back.

* * *

><p>"You've been avoiding me."<p>

Lochie's shoulders tensed but she didn't turn around. Rick had relented enough to allow them to search a small perimeter of the trees in groups. They had found a small stream a little way in and she had volunteered to fill every container they could find. Rick had found her on her third trip. He circled around to grab the other side of the metal bucket she was dragging with some difficulty.

"I didn't think you'd want the whole awkward "morning after" thing." Lochie told the ground as they hit a bumpy patch and the water sloshed dangerously against the sides of the bucket. "And I really don't think I have the stomach for the guilt trip you'll be on right now."

Rick looked taken aback at the harshness of her tone and he couldn't find anything to say until they were almost back to the shack.

"I didn't… I don't-"

"Look, Sheriff." Lochie let go of the bucket and swiped at the sweat on her forehead with her arm. "We had sex. The fact that it was great sex matters very little when you take into account the harpy you're married to. I could care less about Lori and whatever hurt feelings she'd have if she found out, but I know you're going to be tying yourself up in little twisty guilty knots about it and I just don't want to see it."

Rick stared at her.

"You sound like Cassidy when you're angry." He finally managed to get out.

"That's because she tells the truth when she's annoyed." Lochie pointed out. "You need to relax a bit, Sheriff. You get all worked up over stuff that really doesn't matter that much anymore. Yes we probably shouldn't have done it and yes we definitely shouldn't do it again, no matter how much we enjoyed it, but it's done and obsessing over it won't change that. Besides, she was jumping your best friend's bones practically on your grave, I think last night could be classed as nothing more than revenge. If that makes you feel better."

There were so many things wrong with that statement that they crammed up Rick's throat and he couldn't get a single one of them out. He wanted to tell her that he would never have used her like that, that he couldn't have even if he'd wanted to, but she was already dragging the bucket across the grass and he seemed to have no choice but to catch up and help.

"That's a shed."

"It's a hunting cabin."

"It's a shack. It's in even worse shape than the one we just vacated."

"It's a roof and four walls, Red. Beggars can't be choosers."

"Don't idiom me, redneck."

"Now you're just makin' words up."

"No it's called an education."

"You're pissin' me off, lady. Get inside."

"If this were a horror movie we'd be asking for it. Haven't you ever seen Evil Dead? Cabin Fever? Friday 13th? Sleepaway Camp?"

"Well I swear I'll protect you from any psychos, so as long as we don't drink the water or read any Latin shit we'll be alright. Get inside."

"Wow, Dixon. I'm impressed. There isn't much to do around here, huh? I guess once you eliminate rolling in the long grass, horror movies are about the only thing left."

Daryl muttered something but since she had finally deigned to enter the little cabin he didn't say anything she might actually be able to catch. She was squinting at a dusty buck's head mounted on the wall, her freckled nose all scrunched up.

"I don't get people who kill animals for fun."

"Oh?"

She glared at the implication, flouncing out of the room. The cabin was laid out exactly the same as the other one they'd found, two relatively large rooms. This one hadn't been empty for as long though, there was a ratty dusty old couch and a rickety old cheap imitation of a cast iron bed. When she flopped down onto it a cloud of dust puffed into the air and half the paint fell off onto the stained pillows. Coughing from the dust she clambered up from the bed and took a nosy lap of the room. The drawers in the dilapidated dresser were empty, as was the wardrobe with a door missing.

"Well that was anticlimactic." She muttered to herself, wandering out of the room.

Daryl had barricaded the front door with the discarded furniture so the only way out was the window. He had found an empty tin can and placed it precariously on the window ledge so any attempt to get in from the outside would alert them. Noisily. He was slouched down on the couch, his crossbow in his lap, staring at the empty fireplace broodingly.

"We won't light a fire. Light might attract summat."

"Whatever you say, redneck." She sighed. "Course, it does get terribly frosty around here at night. It'd be an awful shame to freeze to death after everything that's happened."

Daryl felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up as her fingertips brushed along the gap between the collar of his shirt and the nape of his hairline. His heart started to thump and he felt a thin wire of electricity coil from his chest right down to his groin. One touch, that was all it ever took from her. Still, he decided to play it out and see what she had in mind. He quivered with anticipation. Her fingertips moved into his hair, scratching lightly over his delicate skin and tugging until a pleasurable arrow of pain darted through him.

"Can you think of a way we could possibly keep warm? Out here. Alone. In the dark, scary woods."

Her voice was hypnotic; so low and sensual it was barely there but every syllable thrummed through his veins like a drug. Her fingers were ten slender licks of desire, working slowly into the skin of his neck and shoulders. He kept perfectly still as her nimble fingers unbuttoned his shirt, despite how badly he wanted to relieve the pressure of his increasingly tight jeans. She slid her hands into his shirt, pulling down the back of his collar until she could press a whisper-soft kiss against the hard knuckle of his spine beneath his skin. His hands clenched convulsively on the crossbow still in his lap, clutching it so tightly it creaked in protest and he felt her lips flicker into a smile against his skin.

He couldn't believe that even whilst sitting on a smelly, rather mouldy, old couch in a shack that smelt like wet dog, her slightest touch could make his blood boil. They could have been in a fancy romantic hotel and it couldn't possibly have been any more sensual than this was. Her nails were tracing little circles on his chest, her lips and teeth worrying the sensitive skin above his collar until every single millimetre tingled. She circled around the sofa and stood before him. He reached out immediately, his hands running up the backs of her thighs and squeezing. She grinned but pushed his hands away.

She took the crossbow and placed it reverently on the floor besides the sofa. He knew she didn't want him to touch her yet, this was one of the games she'd taught him during endless steamy nights in his tent. She would use skills he could never have imagined, touching and caressing and teasing him until he felt as if he might burst into flame and only when he was so frustrated he couldn't take it any longer, would she give him what he wanted. He was momentarily surprised when she pressed her lips against his, usually she withheld them until the last act. Her usual heat was more than evident but there was something softer too. It was a struggle but he managed to keep his hands clenched into fists at his sides instead of reaching for her and he could tell from the glint in her eye that he would be rewarded for his obedience. She tilted his chin until his head fell backwards against the back of the sofa, running the tip of her tongue along his stubbled jawline. Nipping his sensitive pulse-point, she could feel his heart hammering beneath his skin.

He was so enthralled by what her lips were doing, he didn't even noticed that her hands had unfastened his jeans until the pressure was blessedly relieved and the cooling air hit his naked skin. He grunted and he felt her smiling but once she'd released him she didn't touch him again. She unbuttoned the rest of his shirt, running her hands all over his bare skin. He jumped when she caught his nipple in her teeth, glaring down at her but she'd already moved on. She kissed each rib, her hair tickling his sensitised skin and her hands kneading his firm thighs through the denim of his jeans. Her chest brushed against him as she moved and dug his nails into the worn material of the sofa. The only thing preventing him from grabbing her was the knowledge that she always made the torturous teasing worth it. She scratched her nails down his thighs and they tightened and quivered. Her tongue lashed out, flickering against his belly button and the soft trail of bronze hair below. She was so close she could see the muscles in his stomach jumping.

Glancing up she found him staring at her intently, his eyes so bright and simmering with lust that they were almost painful to look at. He didn't say anything, he rarely did no matter what she did to him. It was a different sort of silence though, the kind of silence that spoke volumes. He made a noise at the back of his throat when she finally touched him, his eyes flashing. It was only a brief caress. He growled but was immediately distracted by her discarding the wife-beater. He still wasn't allowed to touch her and he swallowed against the temptation, his fingers digging so hard into the sofa that his knuckles were aching painfully and he wasn't sure he could unclench them if he tried.

The sun had completely set and nothing but the moonlight struggling through the grimy window illuminated the room. Her pearly skin shone as she stepped out of her shorts and the remaining bruises were black. He looked at the brutal marks for a moment but this time he felt no anger and no sympathy, instead there was nothing but a surge of determination. He was going to remove any traces of that scum from her memory. She wanted him to still see her as a beautiful sexual being instead of a victim and he was going to do just that.

Whilst he had been sifting through the confusion of emotions churning in his chest, she had clambered onto his lap.

"Are you going to let me do all the work, Dixon?" She breathed into his ear.

Released from her rules, his hands went immediately to her waist, pushing her down against him. She drew her breath in sharply, her nails digging into his shoulders. He imitated her earlier caresses, the stubble from his jaw scratching teasingly against the delicate skin of her throat. His thumbs slid under her bra, stroking the underside of her breasts and she squeezed her thighs together slightly. He moved suddenly, flipping her onto the back on the small sofa. The tiniest flicker of unease flashed at the back of her eyes when he reared over her and when it disappeared, to be replaced only by desire and trust, he felt his heart clench and it had nothing to do with her sprawled wantonly beneath him.

"I think I have splinters in my butt."

Too worn out to take the bait, Daryl cracked open an eye instead. She was lying naked besides him on her front, leaning on one elbow so she could examine said splinters. He lifted up the blanket they'd grabbed at some point, running an appreciative eye over the wounded area.

"Nothin' there."

She glared at him.

"I can feel them."

He slid the hand not holding up the blanket over her bare flesh. Eventually he shook his head.

"Not a thing."

"Very thorough examination." She grinned, curling into his side and resting her chin on his chest. "How did we end up on the floor, again?"

He shrugged. She eyed the sofa a few feet away beadily. She could not for the life of her remember how they had gone from the sofa to where they were now, nor when they'd retrieved the blanket from the pile of things they'd brought with them by the window. She didn't remember him biting her either but there was a patch of skin on her hip ringed with teeth marks and slowly darkening from red to purple. She also didn't remember making the angry red welts on his back. She looked at her nails critically. They definitely needed cutting.

"How come you didn't get injured?"

He shrugged again, rolling out from under her to expose his sore back.

"Ooops." She grinned, quite unrepentant.

He looked like he might be about to doze off so she leaned over and sank her teeth into his exposed buttock. He yelped and glowered at her over his shoulder. She licked her lips and smiled so all her teeth showed.

"Just returning the favour, redneck." She traced her fingertip along the bitemarks she'd left on his skin, watching the way his sensitive skin jumped at her touch.

"Does that mean I can scratch you all to hell?" He mumbled grouchily, propping his head back on his folded arms.

"If you like. I'm always up for new things." Her hand slid down between his thighs and she saw his back and butt tense as she touched him.

"How have you got energy left?" He grumbled.

"For you, I could do this over and over again for the foreseeable future."

He would have liked to have returned the compliment but truthfully he was so exhausted from their rather wild escapades that he could hardly open his eyes. Of course his body was having no problems at all reacting to her touch.

"Go to sleep." He managed to mutter.

"Are you rejecting me, Daryl Dixon?"

Prising open an eye he found her mock-glaring at him with her arms folded across her chest. He had been on the wrong side of her anger often enough to know when she was faking it so he was unperturbed.

"Give me a couple of hours."

She opened her mouth to taunt him but he had already fallen asleep. She lay back down besides him, covering them both up with the blanket. She had determined not to sit there and watch him sleep like some bimbo in a romance novel, but he was just too cute when he was so peaceful. He frowned momentarily in his sleep, then he flung his arm over her waist and yanked her closer. Her back scratched against the uncomfortable wooden floor but she didn't mind.

* * *

><p><strong>LadyLecter47<strong> – she deserves more than a bashing. The second she pops that kid out, if she isn't dead by then, I'm going to beat the hell out of her :D can't wait.

**VileMalapert** – Rick and Lochie is more of a side story to pass the time until the next season, although he definitely deserves some love too!

**zaii** – well Daryl and Cassidy aren't cute so I have to get it out somewhere lol. Yup a nice little hike through walker infested woods, it's going to end so well :D I really miss Shane :( freaking Lori better get a nasty messy death

**Synvara** – I don't feel sorry for hating her she was stupid to get knocked up in the first place. Cow. Rick needs some love. Lots of love and hugs. The poor love.

**fbg67** – thanks here's an update for you lol

**JTellersOldLady** – I would have an eye fixed right on that butt, it's so luscious it better not get shot at or I'll have a sternly written letter prepared for the writers. Is this hot enough for you? :D


	29. Chapter 21

A/N: Don't own (although I'd love to have my very own Norman Reedus :D) don't sue!

Lyrics are from 'Rain' by Patty Griffin

**Rain**

**Chapter Twenty One**

It's hard to listen to a hard, hard heart  
>Beatin' close to mine<br>Poundin' up against the stone and steel  
>Walls that I won't climb<br>Sometimes a hurt is so deep, deep, deep  
>You think that you're gonna drown<br>Sometimes all I can do is weep, weep, weep  
>With all this rain fallin' down<br>Strange, how hard it rains now  
>Rows and rows of big dark clouds<br>When I'm holding on underneath this shroud  
>Rain<br>It's hard to know when to give up the fight  
>Some things you want will just never be right<br>It's never rained like it has tonight before  
>Now, I don't wanna beg you, baby<br>For something maybe you could never give  
>I'm not lookin' for the rest of your life<br>I just want another chance to live  
>Strange, how hard it rains now<br>Rows and rows of big dark clouds  
>When I'm holdin' on underneath this shroud<br>Rain

"Well this was a good idea." She felt Daryl scowling behind her, his glare burning the back of her neck. "No really. As plans go it's pretty much flawless. I don't see how it could possibly go wrong."

Cassidy peered down through the branches. The walker was still there. Of course it was.

"You know, setting a trap to catch us some actual food. It was a very gentlemanly thing to do, the equivalent of asking me to dinner." She leaned over the edge of the branch to get a better look. "Who could predict a walker wandering into it? And how could we know that we'd be unable to get down and release it without putting our tender firm flesh within biting range?" She cocked her head so she could see him sitting on a branch above her. "And would that same psychic genius ever be able to predict our prolific hunter extraordinaire dropping his crossbow at the first sign of trouble?"

"I didn't drop-" Daryl broke off, looking very much as if he was praying for patience. "I was busy tryin' ta get your ungrateful ass outta danger."

She rolled her eyes, leaning back against the trunk of the tree.

"Don't even. You never get distracted, least of all by me." He glared at her through narrowed eyes and she grinned. "I meant when our butts are on the line. You are totally focused. Always. Very focused. On getting the job done. And you get the job done. Very well." She blinked when she found him staring at her. "Sorry. Distracted."

He scowled. He could transmogrify remarkably quickly into a sulky spoiled teenage brat at times. Usually when he was angry at himself. Right now he was furious, quite unable to believe that he'd dropped his crossbow. Although to be fair he hadn't dropped it, it had caught on one of the lower branches and he hadn't been able to stop and untangle it without becoming a meal for the walker they'd inadvertently taken hostage. He could see it gleaming between branches below him, sturdily hooked on two branches caught on the strap and the bow string. It had seemed an excellent idea to wait out the trap from the lower branches. Of course the walker had been caught in seconds and they had barely had chance to scramble further up out of its reach. It was a huge burly walker, at least six feet five with shoulders wider than a dumpster, as solidly built as a truck. As nimble as Cassidy was she very much doubted she could climb down the tree and avoid its grasp long enough to kill it.

"It kinda looks like my ex boyfriend." She mused thoughtfully.

Daryl grunted, eyeing the walker critically.

"I went through a bad boy phase when I was fourteen." She hesitated for a moment. "What about you? Did you have a bad girl phase?"

He flicked her a brief glance then returned to staring at the crossbow as if he could will it to leap into his hands again of its own accord. He shifted uncomfortably on the branch. People didn't ask about his past, they generally weren't interested as long as he kept them safe and well fed. He shrugged, feeling the flush under his collar that he always seemed to get when he was the centre of attention.

"Can you get into the next tree?" He asked, ignoring her question.

She tilted her head to work out the distance to the branches of the next tree.

"No. Theoretically I could reach but any branches close enough wouldn't hold my weight." She smiled sweetly at him. "Next suggestion."

"What's your bright idea?" He growled.

"Hey I didn't get us into this mess."

"You didn't help." He snapped. "I thought you were a trained killer."

Rather than snapping back as he expected, he was greeted by nothing but a stony silence. Curiosity getting the better of him, he leaned over. All he could see was the top of her head, her gaze turned away from him. He could see the hint of rosy flesh at her chest and her long slim legs stretched out along the branch.

"I didn't tell you about that so you could throw it in my face." She said stiffly.

He didn't reply. He didn't know what to say. He felt the tree trembling as she moved and then her head popped up besides his thigh. She looked at him, her bright cat eyes searing right through him. She didn't say anything, gripping the trunk besides him and hauling herself up.

"I'm going to get a good look at the area." She called over her shoulder as she climbed past him.

He watched her progress, her slender fingers wiggling into minute cracks in the bark and her booted feet catching purchase and showering moss and leaves onto his head. Of course the sight of her in too small jeans from beneath more than made up for the discomfort.

"Okay there's no way I can get into any other trees without breaking through the branches and falling on my ass so here's the plan."

There was more rustling and she dropped down onto the branch above him. Straddling the branch her boots swung on either side of his shoulders. It was starting to get dark and her face was in shadow, her eyes glowing and looking more cat-like than ever and her hair slipping out of her ponytail and trailing over her shoulder. He realised she was talking again and he managed to force his attention back on target.

"So can you?"

He stared at her. She stared right back, then she rolled her eyes and repeated herself rather irritably. He had the feeling she was angry.

"I said: I'll distract it long enough for you to get a hold of your penis extension down there." She cocked her head. "I can kill it for you if you'd like. If it would make your mental vision of me more accurate."

Oh yeah, she was angry. She didn't wait for him to reply, swinging over the branch until her bared midriff dangled tantalisingly close to his nose and then she'd dropped down and was climbing like a monkey to the ground. He scrambled around, getting as close to the crossbow as he could. The plan went relatively well with only a few minor scrapes and bruises attained. Daryl glared at her, quite clearly attempting to gloss over her anger by inflaming his own.

"You coulda been killed." He snarled, kicking the walker out of the way once he'd retrieved the spent bolt.

"And we could have starved to death in that tree." She countered calmly. "They can wait us out long after we drop of dehydration."

She squinted into the trees. It was getting dark. And hot. She swiped the sweat from her forehead with one dirty hand, smearing moss and lichen across her brow. It was too dark to keep looking for food, there was nothing for it but to head back to the road and find somewhere to camp for the night. She kept a pace and a half in front of him, her back rigid and unwelcoming. Daryl had no problem with silence, at times like this it could make the different between life and death but this was a brittle silence emanating from Cassidy. It was far more distracting than anything else she could have done.

* * *

><p>"What's wrong with the Dodgers?" Cassidy demanded, retrieving the slightly bloodied blue and white cap from the road and pulling it onto her head.<p>

"What's right about 'em?" Daryl cast the cap a thoroughly derisive glower.

"They're a good team! Don't you follow the sport?" Cassidy wrinkled her nose. "Didn't you follow the sport?"

"Tryin' ya best to hit a ball and run in a circle ain't no sorta sport." Daryl grunted.

"Ah. Couldn't hit a home run as a child I take it." Cassidy patted his arm soothingly until he jerked it out of her reach peevishly.

"And where'd all that swingin' get them in the end? Exactly where it got him." Daryl nudged the slain walker with his boot to prove his point.

"Maybe." She conceded thoughtfully. "Either way it doesn't really do us much good right now."

"You tired, Red?"

She ignored the jab.

"I'm longing for a warm bed and a hot shower." She turned and squinted at the road they'd been travelling down. "We're almost out of sunlight."

Daryl's grunt was muffled, his top half was buried in the car they'd stumbled upon crashed down the embankment by the side of the road. Cassidy took a moment to enjoy the view, then she headed over. He handed her a crisp map that had been folded neatly in a square. Several points on the map had been circled in marker pen. Motels. Cassidy turned to the walker they'd found in the car, squatting down besides him. She rooted around in his pockets until Daryl almost felt jealous of the guy. Eventually she returned to her feet holding a slip of soiled paper.

"Is there a Bobby's Rest Stop on there?"

Daryl scanned the map, then looked at it again. Eventually he shook his head.

"Flip it over, redneck."

He glowered but turned over the map. On the back was a neat handwritten list of all the rest stops, gas stations and motels along the route he'd been taking.

"Bit stuffy for a sports fan." Daryl sniffed.

"More like his wife wanted a complete record of where he was going to be at all times." Cassidy guessed. "So our friend here used Bobby's which is here." She pointed at a spot on the map. "There is a motel here, so we have to assume we're somewhere in between."

Daryl nodded. It was a reasonable assumption considering they hadn't passed a motel or a rest stop so far, logically they were somewhere between the two points.

"How much is in the tank?" Daryl asked, scratching his stubbled chin thoughtfully.

She leaned in.

"About two thirds."

Between them they managed to get a rough estimate of how many miles he'd likely travelled since filling up, based on the type of car and a few rather dodgy attempts at math. Eventually they agreed that the motel couldn't be more than two or three miles away.

"Best not to get our hopes up." Cassidy said tiredly, they'd been searching for days and still hadn't found anything even slightly promising. "It'll probably be infested."

Daryl grunted. They looked at each other but they both knew they had no choice. Cassidy looked at the map again.

"If we keep walking we can probably get there by dawn." She estimated, peering up at the sky.

He looked at her as if trying to work out whether she was up for it or not. She bristled, looking much more like her usual self than the cold silent character she'd been portraying since the incident in the tree.

"Let's go, Dixon."

* * *

><p>"Definitely going to be infested." She sighed unhappily.<p>

He didn't reply, she could practically see the cogs turning in his head. The safest thing to do would be to return to the others and clear the walkers out with back up, but then they'd be putting others at risk. And apart from Rick, Maggie and Glenn she had very little faith in any of the other survivors lasting more than a few seconds without needing to be rescued. Even Lochie would probably end up as more of a liability.

"So the way I see it, we have two choices; go room to room or get them all out at once." She mused. "If I had Vera I'd opt for the latter but with what we've got…" Daryl's grip tightened on his crossbow and he glowered as if she'd mortally offended him. "If we let them all out we could end up overrun."

He did nothing to indicate he'd even heard her but she saw the worry line between his brows deepening.

"Room by room?" She prompted.

"Room by room." He agreed grimly after a long pause, frowning when she tucked her gun securely into the back of her jeans.

"It'll make too much noise." She reminded him.

"So you're goin' in there naked?"

"I hadn't planned on it but if that's what gets you going…"

He scowled and she rolled her eyes, retrieving a rather wicked looking knife from the strap at her thigh. The worry line was back. She was going to have to get up close and personal to take out any walkers with that. If she could read the worry churning in his gut she didn't comment on it, she was working out their plan of action. There were only twenty rooms, fifteen forming three sides of a square and the remaining five a single row slightly apart from the others.

They started with the office, Cassidy thrusting the knife through the manager's forehead. When he was still they dragged him outside to burn later.

"Hey look, there's a pool." Cassidy fluttered her eyelashes. "Have you ever had sex in a pool, redneck? It's an experience."

Daryl peered at the dusty tepid water and snorted as if the very idea was ludicrous.

"That water ain't been cleaned in weeks, Red."

"Neither have we." She pointed out.

They took the keys from the board behind the desk, working their way through the rooms. Most of them were empty given the apocalyptic state of the country, and the few walkers they did encounter had been starving for so long they went down relatively easily. There was a rather hairy moment when a spry walker sprang through the adjoining doors and grabbed a fistful of Cassidy's hair. His slavering maw was mere centimetres from her cheek when Daryl nailed it. After that they carefully locked each of the doors behind them and barricaded them with furniture.

* * *

><p>It took the rest of the day and most of the night but finally the motel was walker free. It was nearly sunrise when they piled the last of the bodies outside to be burned.<p>

"We'll have to wait for morning to burn 'em." Daryl squinted up at the brightening sky. "Fire's only gonna attract more of the suckers."

Cassidy stifled a yawn. They'd decided to stay in the five isolated rooms, they offered a complete view of their surroundings and adjoining doors meant a hasty exit possibility.

The shower wasn't working, much to Cassidy's chagrin, so they barricaded themselves into the room closest to the road. Daryl had intended to keep watch but once Cassidy had changed the sheets for fresh ones, she had managed to coax him to lie down besides her. They both smelt pretty ripe after everything they'd been through, but Cassidy didn't complain. She liked his scent, all blood and sweat and metal, and when she lapped her tongue against his throat she could taste his heady intoxicating scent sharp against her tastebuds.

They were too exhausted to take it any further but he enjoyed the way she curled against his side, her nose mere millimetres from his arm, her breath fanning warmly across his cheek. At some point during the night he woke to find she'd rolled over and his cheek was buried in her hair spread across the pillow. It was warm from her body heat. He inched closer until the arm lying between them brushed the planes of her back. She returned the pressure even though she didn't wake and he felt a flash of worrisome reassurance.

He climbed to his feet, sliding away from her silently so she could rest. When he returned from his patrol she was gone. He tensed, lifting the crossbow and scanning the room.

"Calm down." She laughed, emerging from the bathroom behind him.

She had been washing in the tepid water she'd filled the sink with, soaking her sweaty hair and scrubbing what dirt and grime she could from her body. She had stripped out of her smelly clothes and wrapped herself up in a surprisingly comfortable looking bathrobe, her wet hair dripping down her back. She coiled around him from behind, her damp hands pressing against the planes of his chest.

"If you want to wash I filled the sink with some clean-ish water for you." She said, stepping around him.

He caught her back, running his hands up into her wet hair.

"I just washed that." She chastised as his hand slid in between the folds of the robe. "Go wash."

He muttered something under his breath but she was quite firm, and he stomped off to the bathroom. He washed as best as he could in the dark, shucking off his boots to rinse his hot tired feet and trickling water over his lank hair. When he returned to the bedroom she was curled up in the middle of the bed, the over-sized robe swamping her. She sniffed experimentally.

"Much better." She giggled suddenly and he scowled. "I was expecting you to come out in one of these?" She lifted the collar of the robe then she giggled even harder and he snapped at her. "Sorry. I was just picturing you in my robe at home. It looks like a Jedi cloak. It's awesome."

She looked very young all of a sudden, drowning in the expansive material, her wet hair pulled over one shoulder. Her smile dropped and he knew she was remembering that she'd probably never see that robe again. That was how it hit you nowadays, like a boulder to the head, the realisation that you'd never just sit down with a paper again or go to the supermarket for milk. She yawned, stretching her hands up until the luminous sleeves dropped down to her elbows. Her arms were marred by scratches and bruises from their travels. He pounced onto the bed, the springs screeching in protest as he loomed over her. She grinned as his damp hair trickled over his bare neck and chest, spotting her nose and freckles cheeks.

"I thought you were supposed to be protecting our asses?"

"There're all kindsa ways to do that." He slipped his hand up under the robe, caressing the curve of her thigh. He came to an abrupt halt when she winced. "What?"

She shook her head and he glared, grabbing her hip and rolling her firmly over before she could protest. Whipping up the robe with very little ceremony, he revealed a nasty yellow and purple bruise on the back of her thigh. He shoved her over onto her back again.

"Ow."

"Go to sleep." He grunted, rolling onto his back besides her. "We gotta long way to go tomorrow."

* * *

><p><strong>LadyLecter47<strong> – here you go, sorry it took so long I was on holiday

**zaii** – glad you liked it so much

**JTellersOldLady** – he's the only good character in it so he better be there to stay, the rest are just fodder. Lol well that was the aim, here's your update

**SharonH** – Rick strikes me as a very guilty person lol and Lori has her hooks in pretty deep.


	30. Chapter 22

A/N: Don't own (although I'd love to have my very own Norman Reedus :D) don't sue!

Lyrics are from 'Rain' by Patty Griffin

**Rain**

**Chapter Twenty Two**

It's hard to listen to a hard, hard heart  
>Beatin' close to mine<br>Poundin' up against the stone and steel  
>Walls that I won't climb<br>Sometimes a hurt is so deep, deep, deep  
>You think that you're gonna drown<br>Sometimes all I can do is weep, weep, weep  
>With all this rain fallin' down<br>Strange, how hard it rains now  
>Rows and rows of big dark clouds<br>When I'm holding on underneath this shroud  
>Rain<br>It's hard to know when to give up the fight  
>Some things you want will just never be right<br>It's never rained like it has tonight before  
>Now, I don't wanna beg you, baby<br>For something maybe you could never give  
>I'm not lookin' for the rest of your life<br>I just want another chance to live  
>Strange, how hard it rains now<br>Rows and rows of big dark clouds  
>When I'm holdin' on underneath this shroud<br>Rain

"What's with them?" Lochie muttered, peering curiously across the courtyard at Maggie and Glenn.

"Maggie's all bent out of shape because Glenn won't share a room with her right under her father's nose."

"Huh." Lochie cocked her head thoughtfully. "You'd think she was way too old to still be in her rebellious phase."

Carol, who was scrubbing blood from one of the windows, winced. Cassidy cast a quick glance around, assessing where everyone was. Rick and T-Dog were securely boarding up the other fifteen rooms to keep out any stray walkers; Hershel, Lori and Carl were sorting through all the furniture they'd pulled out of the rooms, stacking what could be used as firewood or weapons and piling the rest up to be distributed fairly; before they'd started arguing Maggie and Glenn had been burying the burnt remains of the walkers away from their new camp. Cassidy winced and swore loudly as she caught her thumb on a stray splinter in the doorframe. The two of them had been making the five rooms as secure as possible with what they had, fixing broken window frames and locks. Lochie dropped her screwdriver with a loud clatter, hissing a long stream of curse words that made Carl giggle.

"Nice job, klutz." Cassidy snorted, grunting with the effort of forcing a broken slat back into place.

"Hey I'm used to picking locks not locking them." Lochie grumbled, shoving her hair out of her eyes.

Cassidy stood back to admire her handiwork. Well… it would hold anyway. She glanced over her shoulder again. She knew Daryl was deep in the trees, searching for food, and she knew he was perfectly capable of taking care of himself and any walkers he came across. She still had a bad feeling though. The skin at the back of her neck was crawling. Turning back she found Lochie peeping out of the corner of her eye at Rick, who was looking forlornly at Lori and Carl again. She huffed, glaring at Cassidy when she found her looking.

"I know I know. I don't want to talk about it. Hey kid." She forced a smile for Carl who was struggling to keep hold of a pile of freshly aired, and beaten, blankets. "Need a hand?"

They were distributing any useful furniture between the rooms. The first room was hers and Daryl's, the next was Rick, Lori and Carl's, then Maggie and Glenn (theoretically), then Lochie and Carol and then T-Dog and Hershel. All of the adjoining doors were to be left unlocked in case of an emergency. Carl shook his head but one of the blankets tilted dangerously towards the rocky ground. Cassidy rescued it and took most of the pile from him.

"Come on, let's change these manky sheets and get the hell out of this sun."

Carl was uncharacteristically quiet as he helped Cassidy strip the beds and re-make them with the clean sheets.

"You okay, kid?"

He jumped about a foot in the air, dropping the bundle of dirty sheets in his arms. He flushed.

"I'm fine."

She eyed him. He looked pale and thin, the too-big hat sliding over his sweat-slicked forehead and the ugly yellow work gloves they'd found making his arms look skinnier than ever.

"Sure, and I'm the Queen of Sheba." He blinked at her. "Don't bullshit me, kid."

His flush darkened and he glanced around as if he expected his mother to pounce on them at any moment.

"You miss Shane." Cassidy hazarded.

Carl's face paled and he looked caught between guilt and grief.

"Look, I'm not good with emotions but I'm pretty sure you have the right to miss someone you grew up loving. Don't feel guilty about it. I'm sure your dad feels just as confused as you do."

They worked in silence for a while; methodically stripping out the old sheets, flipping the mattresses and re-making them with the fresh bedding. The work was simple enough for her mind to wander and her thoughts automatically strayed to Daryl. He was out hunting for something for them to live on but they couldn't live like this forever. The hotel was too hard to secure indefinitely, even if they could get the water running again.

When they'd finished with the beds they dragged the pile of dirty sheets out into the sun to see what could be salvaged. T-Dog, Rick and Glenn were huddled together discussing something.

"What's going on?" Cassidy asked Lochie warily.

"They're trying to figure out how to fix the filtration system on the pool-"

"We have a pool?!" Carl blurted excitedly.

"Yeah it stinks like you wouldn't believe." Lochie wrinkled her nose and Carl grinned. "Can you fix it? Because I could totally spend a few days by the pool with a dozen cocktails."

"We'd need to find the chemicals and stuff for the water." T-Dog mused thoughtfully.

Carl and Lochie broke into excited babbling and Cassidy rolled her eyes, slipping away to find some water to cool her dusty throat.

* * *

><p>Cassidy stretched languidly, arching her back and stretching out her spine. Daryl's gaze flickered briefly from the squirrels he was skinning to her bare navel. She was resting before dinner, half watching Carl and Lochie who had scavenged half a dozen inflatables from around the pool and, after wiping them down, were blowing them up with much giggling and rude noises. Cassidy had commandeered a big pink lilo to stretch out on. A shadow momentarily blocked out the lowering sun and Cassidy cracked open an eye behind her mirrored aviators. Lori was towering over her glaring irritably.<p>

"You wanted me?" She ground out between clenched teeth.

"Only for your winning personality." Cassidy muttered.

"What do you want?" Lori snapped.

"My own private Caribbean island, complete with topless slave boys armed with leafy fans and fruity cocktails."

Lori huffed and turned away.

"Talk to your son." Cassidy snapped after her. "Sulking at his dad isn't helping him."

Lori swelled like an indignant bullfrog, clearly gearing up to explode but Cassidy rolled away from her and eventually Lori stamped off in a cloud of righteous indignation. Daryl watched her retreating back without commenting, tossing the squirrel skins into a small furry pile besides his boot. He'd returned to the hotel almost an hour ago, his grimmer than usual scowl deflating Rick's hopes of an all you can eat extravaganza. He'd eyed them working on the pool, then pulled up a dusty sun-lounger a few feet away and got to work.

"Roasted squirrel again, huh?"

He glowered and she pushed herself up into a sitting position.

"We can't live off rodents forever." She gave him a sideways grin. "Not that you don't do a very good job of catching them. I'm sure it's thoroughly sexy when you're out there alone doing your survival thing." He scowled. "If we don't get some actual food we're going to starve out here. Winter will be here soon." She scrubbed her hands over her face tiredly. "Urgh I'm not used to having to look out for people. Worrying, watching." She glowered into the distance. "I don't think I like it."

"Don't think ya supposed to." Daryl muttered gruffly.

"If this is what it feels like to be a parent, I am out." She shuddered delicately. "Totally not worth it."

Daryl cast a shrewd look over her and she glared.

"What about that one?" He jerked his head towards Carl, who had been winning the race to blow up a rubber ring until Lochie had pounced on top of it and flattened all the air out of it and was loudly reproaching Lochie for cheating.

"Not mine. Not my problem." He lifted his eyebrows and she jutted her chin stubbornly. "Stop playing with those things a minute."

"I ain't playin', we gotta eat. Got a whole camp full of hungry whiny people."

"Really?" She giggled. "I'm sorry but you totally just sounded like my grandma."

He opened his mouth furiously but she slipped between his knees, snatching the half-skinned squirrel from one hand and tossing it unceremoniously over her shoulder. It landed with an unpleasant splot somewhere behind her. She tipped his hand until the knife slipped out of his grasp, landing in the pile of skins with a thump.

"You two aren't going to start making out or anything gross are you?"

Daryl turned his fiercest glare on Lochie, standing behind them with Carl.

"You want something?" He growled dangerously.

"Just to ruin your day." She said sweetly, dodging out of range when he kicked the squirrel skins at her.

She whirled away from them and almost toppled right over Rick. He tried to steady her but she yanked her arm away from him.

"We're calling it a night, everyone's pretty exhausted."

He scratched at his cheek, one hand on Carl's shoulder.

"Huh. I can't remember the last time I had a curfew." Cassidy teased.

Rick frowned and she laughed. He was right, it was getting chillier and the sun hadn't even fully set yet. Daryl gathered up the skins and disappeared into their room while Cassidy and T-Dog helped Rick secure the outer doors of all five rooms. Once they'd clambered in through the window of Daryl and Cassidy's room and secured it again behind them, they seemed to be at a loss. As tired as everyone was it was still too early to sleep. The problem was resolved by Lochie opening up all of the adjoining doors as everybody spread out.

"So what are we going to do, stare at each other until we fall asleep?" Cassidy muttered, stretching out on the bed as Lochie settled down and started a game of cards with Carl, Maggie and Glenn on the floor of Rick's room, Carol and Lori were talking quietly on the bed.

"We could tell stories." She suggested cheerfully. "Okay I got a great one."

The sun was fading rapidly and the rooms were already pretty dark from being boarded up. Carl inched a little closer to Lochie as she talked.

"Okay so there's this girl. Real hot. All dark hair and grey eyes and an incredible-" She broke off when Carl giggled. "Anyway so she was having problems with this evil old witch. More of a hag really. Now this girl had a thing for this Prince. A handsome knight in shining armour. But this hag was jealous of the girl's beauty so she sent these hell hounds after her. Every night when the sun went down the girl would hear them howling all around the house, clawing at the doors and snarling. No matter where she went they found her and anyone who tried to slay them was mauled to death."

Hearing such a creepy story from someone as innocent sounding as Lochie had cast a spell on them. Even Hershel was listening, he was trying to look as though he wasn't but his room was the furthest away and he had leaned slightly towards the open adjoining doors.

The roof creaked ominously as T-Dog changed positions above them and Carl shot about a foot in the air, grabbing onto Lochie's arm. Glenn squeaked in fear and then blushed embarrassedly when Maggie smirked.

"I don't think we need to hear ghost stories when our entire life is one giant horror movie, Loch." Cassidy chastised.

Lochie rolled her eyes but allowed Maggie to take over and fill them in on how stolen a tractor at the age of eleven. Wandering into the bathroom Cassidy encountered a string of squirrels dangling from the ceiling above the dirty bathtub.

"Darling?" She purred, sticking her head out into their main bedroom. "I like what you've done with the place, it gives it a real redneck feel."

He gave her a dirty look and she grinned. Cassidy cast a furtive glance around, latched her fingers into Daryl's shirt and yanked him into the bathroom. The room was really too small for any kind of manoeuvrability and Cassidy banged her elbow hard on the sink, the toilet cistern digging painfully into her back. She heard Daryl's muttered oaths against her cheek and she giggled, he'd caught his boot in the door as it slammed closed and tumbled forwards until he'd cracked his knee on the seat of the toilet. There was a lot of fumbling and giggling and swearing until they finally managed to arrange themselves comfortably enough for Cassidy to pull his head down towards hers. One hand steadied them against the wall and the other was sliding purposefully along her thigh.

"Think this thing can hold us?" She whispered breathlessly, indicating the cistern she was propped against.

"Hell no." Lochie's voice startled them and Daryl swore loudly. "Yeah, we can hear every nasty thing you guys are saying and doing. These walls are about as sturdy as a sheet of paper."

Daryl moved away from Cassidy reluctantly, helping her jump down.

"We definitely need to find somewhere else to set up camp." Cassidy sighed, straightening her shirt and following Daryl out of the room.

* * *

><p><strong>LadyLecter47<strong> – my holiday was amazing thank you, hope this is worth the wait

**JTellersOldLady** – thanks

**JDMlvr1** – thanks glad you like it, hope you enjoy this too. There'll be more Cassidy and Carl to come.

**deadorworse** – here's your update :)


	31. Chapter 23

A/N: Don't own (although I'd love to have my very own Norman Reedus :D) don't sue!

Lyrics are from 'Rain' by Patty Griffin

Totally forgot about Beth! But you know she might as well be a stick of furniture for all the personality they've given her.

**Rain**

**Chapter Twenty Three**

It's hard to listen to a hard, hard heart  
>Beatin' close to mine<br>Poundin' up against the stone and steel  
>Walls that I won't climb<br>Sometimes a hurt is so deep, deep, deep  
>You think that you're gonna drown<br>Sometimes all I can do is weep, weep, weep  
>With all this rain fallin' down<br>Strange, how hard it rains now  
>Rows and rows of big dark clouds<br>When I'm holding on underneath this shroud  
>Rain<br>It's hard to know when to give up the fight  
>Some things you want will just never be right<br>It's never rained like it has tonight before  
>Now, I don't wanna beg you, baby<br>For something maybe you could never give  
>I'm not lookin' for the rest of your life<br>I just want another chance to live  
>Strange, how hard it rains now<br>Rows and rows of big dark clouds  
>When I'm holdin' on underneath this shroud<br>Rain

The dreams didn't wake her, but they did make her reach out for the warmth of another human body. It was the empty bed sheets that woke her. She struggled to surface from her dream, climbing back to reality out of the murky depths of her mind. Forcing her eyes open she felt a brief flicker of panic. The boards were still secure on the window and the dresser was still blocking the doorway. She scanned the room. Daryl's crossbow and his jacket were gone, it must be his turn on watch. He hadn't been gone long either because there was a lingering warmth clinging to his side of the bed. Cassidy rolled over into the warm patch, nuzzling against the slightly indented pillow and inhaling the tangy musky scent he'd left behind. The whole place was eerily silent, only the occasional creak as someone changed positions and the odd muffled snore echoed through the thin walls. She felt almost safe, listening to Daryl's measured pacing above her.

Her heart was still thundering in her chest from her dreams, sweat sticking her hair to her neck. She felt undone by these dreams, struggling to stay afloat. Cassidy took a long deep breath. She was strong and adaptable, but no one could clamp down their emotions indefinitely. She was more used to fearing for her life on a daily basis than others but being aware of the danger from your high risk job and the whole world being out to eat you alive were two very different things. So she let go. She lay curled up in a tight ball as all the fears and worries and shock from the last few months whipped around her head. She didn't cry but she trembled frantically, her muscles coiling into iron bands of tension until she thought they might snap. Flashes fired past the backs of her eyelids, sensations and left over shock surging through her chest. She didn't know how long she lay there but when she returned to her senses she felt a little lighter, as if she'd been cleansed somehow. Her stomach was roiling and her head ached but she felt less chaotic. Feeling slightly satisfied with herself, she gathered up the remnants of her fears and calmly replaced them back into the box buried deep in the recesses of her mind. She was exhausted and even the dark prospect of her dreams returning couldn't keep her awake.

It must have been a few hours later when a presence in her room woke her. She was about to reach for her knife when she realised that the boards on the window were being systematically removed rather than scrabbled at by dead hands. She heard Rick's voice speaking in an undertone and Daryl's grunting reply, then the boards were replaced and the room was dark again. She heard the slight pause in his step when he realised she'd switched sides but he didn't read anything into it. A soft reverent click as his crossbow was placed carefully to one side. Slight rustling as he peeled off his clothes. Then finally the bed dipped and he was there in front of her. He shivered slightly as the now cold sheets touched his bare skin. She could see the glimmer of light reflecting off his open eyes.

"Bad dreams?" He murmured.

"No!" She denied in a vehement hiss.

He didn't answer and she could feel him looking at her steadily. They weren't really nightmares, not in the classical sense. They were something though, threads of horror sticking to her brain. She could still feel that terrible noxious fear clawing her throat, thick cloying dread paralysing her limbs. It wasn't the dark nature of her dreams that scared her, it was the glimmer of understanding that was starting to pierce through. It was starting to comprehend how her sister had spent those agonizing hours. What she had suffered that night, what she had lived through for months afterwards. Those brief moments in that tiny room with Joseph feverish and crazy strong, she had not had time to feel fear. But her sister had. She had had nothing but her fear and her horror and her pain as she was brutalized, not even allowed to slip into unconsciousness. Her dreams were haunting her because they'd shoved her towards an understanding she'd been running from for years.

"I don't want to talk about it." She said in a not completely steady murmur. "It's nothing. It'll pass."

He merely watched her in contemplative silence. She felt warmth swell under her ribcage, bittersweet gratitude that he knew her well enough to keep silent when she needed it. Beneath the affection was a ripple of unease, a terrible fear that she might lose him to one of those monsters. She slid closer towards him, wrapping her arms around his neck. She felt his surprise at the unusual display of affection, but he enveloped her tightly against him nonetheless. His skin was cool from the night air but reassuringly familiar. His distinctive scent swirling around her, the familiar planes of his skin marred by tiny scars she knew even in the dark. Still feeling vulnerable and raw from earlier, she clung tightly to him in a way she never had before. She felt like a bundle of raw exposed nerves, desperate to feel safe, protected and loved. He felt spots of warm tears against his chest and he frowned. Ever since she'd spent those weeks as a prisoner she'd been different. Still strong and resilient and just as capable as ever of handing his ass to him if it came to it, but there was something fragile and breakable lurking just beneath the surface. And he didn't think she knew how to repair it.

* * *

><p>It was only when she woke up that Cassidy realised she'd managed to make it a few hours without dreaming. She felt better, rested and calmer. Daryl was sleeping besides her, his head tilted towards hers on the pillow even as his body angled away from her on the narrow bed. His arm was stretched out along the base of her pillow under her neck. She rolled onto her front, tracing her fingernail along the veins pulsing gently under the bronzed skin. His fingers twitched. She pressed her lips against the inside of his wrist, brushing tiny delicate kisses along the length of his arm and into the crook of his elbow. Nipping her teeth teasingly on the sensitive skin of his inner arm until she reached his shoulder. His eyes were open when she peeped at him mockingly, sinking her teeth into the muscled swell of his shoulder. He grunted and she grinned. She felt his arm coiling around her neck, his hand gripping a handful of her hair lightly.<p>

"What time is it?" He asked hoarsely, using his free hand to scrub his eyes sleepily.

"Early. Just before sunrise I'd guess." She rubbed her finger over the bite marks she'd left in his shoulder. "I could have been a walker."

He ignored her, dropping his arm back onto the bed. She nudged his open palm with her nose, darting out her tongue to trace the lines criss-crossed there. She could taste sweat and metal and nicotine and her throat tingled pleasantly as she flicked her tongue over each of his fingertips.

"Dreaming again?"

She shook her head without looking at him, busy nibbling at the wide pad of his thumb.

"Glenn woke me when he switched watches with Rick." She eyed him out of the corner of her eye. "That would give us a good hour or two before anyone else disturbs us. Wouldn't it?"

His fingers twitched as she hit a particularly sensitive spot. He reached over with his free hand, sliding it up under the t-shirt she was wearing. He massaged each little knob of her spine, eventually lifting her shirt and pressing his lips against the small of her back. She shivered as his stubble scratched pleasantly against her bare skin. It always amazed her how deliciously slow he could move at times like this. Every inch of his personality and public persona was impatient, brusque and hasty but in private, and given the opportunity, he could torture her for hours until every inch of her body was alive and jumping in anticipation. He rolled her over. As she smoothed the reddened skin of her bite mark with gentle lips and tongue, he hovered his palm over her bare navel, not touching her but close enough to drag his skin against the invisibly fine hairs there. Her stomach pulsed with desire, her skin quivering at the imagined contact.

They both froze at the sounds of movement reverberating through the thin walls. They could hear voices, sleepy murmuring voices as their group came to life. For a moment they stared at each other, burning each other up hungrily, wondering if they could make it before someone barrelled through the door. Eventually Daryl rolled back over onto his back, scrubbing his hands over his face and muttering irritably as Lochie burst into the room. She skidded to a halt, gaping quite openly at the naked Daryl Dixon glaring at her as though he could will a bolt of lightening to use her head as target practice.

"Ooops. Sorry." She giggled, not moving an inch as Daryl, looking distinctly pink in the cheek area, tugged on his jeans and boots.

Cassidy watched with some amusement as he grabbed a shirt and bolted out of the window. Lochie crossed over to the window and leaned out. After a moment she pulled her head back in and leant against the window frame, emitting a low whistle of appreciation.

"I am impressed." She eyed Cassidy's red cheeks with a smirk. "Clearly I interrupted. Sorry."

"No you're not." Cassidy laughed as she shoved back the sheets and climbed out of bed.

"No I'm not." Lochie agreed cheerfully. "If I'm not getting any I don't see why anybody else should."

She turned puce as Rick appeared in the adjoining doorway, yawning widely and blinking bleary-eyed at them.

"Go back to bed Sheriff. You're not going to do us much good if you can hardly put one foot in front of the other." Cassidy advised, burying herself back under the covers as if neither of them were standing there.

Lori and Carl weren't in their room, the boards covering the doors had been taken down and Lori had clearly hustled Carl out quickly. Rick returned to his room reluctantly, torn between his desire to be out there organizing and his body's need for sleep.

"Go away, Lochie. And close those curtains on your way." Cassidy snapped from beneath the sheets.

Lochie grumblingly obeyed, suddenly finding herself on the other side of a closed with Rick. Alone. Quite alone. They stood in awkward silence for a long moment. Lochie looked anywhere but at the man standing across from her, his hair all tousled and the muscles of his bare chest quite evident in the small room. She muttered something about finding breakfast and backed up towards the door, still staring fixedly at a suspicious looking stain on the wall behind his head. Not looking where she was going she caught her foot in something and tripped. Letting out a stifled cry of surprise, she half twisted as she flew backwards into the wall with a painful smack. Pain blazed through her cheek and stars burst in front of her eyes. She must have blacked out for a few seconds because the next thing she knew she was in a heap on the floor with Rick squatting in front of her. His brow was furrowed and his eyes were dark with concern.

"Lochie?" She whimpered as he touched her bruised cheek gently, sending new waves of pain shooting through her face. "Can I look?"

She shrugged although somehow that hurt her face too. Focusing on the blazing pain slowly fading to a dull throb was safer than noting how close he was, or the way his fingers were sending pleasurable tingles through her body as he gently brushed her hair behind her ears so he could see her face clearly. His frown deepened as he lightly prodded and caressed, assessing the damage.

"That bad, huh?"

He gave her a small half-smile but she could tell from how tender she was that it would bruise up pretty badly. She shifted around, trying to get back on her feet, realising that she'd tripped on a bundle of blankets and a pillow. She stared at them in confusion.

"What's with-" She broke off abruptly as she caught sight of Rick's neatly folded shirt in the corner. "She's making you sleep on the floor?" She demanded shrilly, wincing as pain shot through her cheek again. "That demented old hag! When you're out there at all hours of the day and night trying to keep us alive and all she does is a bit of old laundry now and then?! That bitch!"

Rick looked momentarily taken aback but when she struggled to her feet in a fit of anger, he hurriedly grabbed her before she could throw open the door and chase after Lori.

"It's okay, I didn't want to disturb them after my watch."

"Don't you lie to me, Rick Grimes." Lochie whirled on him furiously. "Especially not for her."

Lochie looked as if she were quite capable of going on in this vein for a good while longer but she'd gotten up too fast, the blood already rushing up to her bruised face was swirling around her head and she swayed dangerously. Rick caught her arm and pushed her lightly towards the bed. She sat on the edge, dangling her head between her shaky knees until the faintness passed.

"I think I'm going back to bed. It's been one hell of a shit morning and we're only half an hour in."

"You're going to be fine." Rick replied automatically, his eyes straying to her rapidly swelling cheek before he could stop himself.

"Well yeah." She lifted a hand to brush the damp from her cheeks, cursing as even that stung.

Rick brushed her hand away. He was kneeling in front of her again, the sagging old bed brought them to same height. Lochie felt her heart stutter then start pulsing frantically against her ribs. She must have tilted her head because his concerned gaze dipped down to her pursed lips. Lochie didn't dare move a millimetre, her pounding pulse was throbbing all over her body. His eyes were fixed intently on her, his bare chest illuminated by the sunlight seeping through the cracks between the boards. She had forced herself to stay away from him, to stop thinking about him as anything but their leader and someone to be trusted completely, but it was so hard to stick to her decision when images from the rooftop kept flashing through her brain. As if he could read her mind the muscles in his body tightened and the hairs on his chest lifted. She realised she'd reached out towards his shoulder without noticing. He reached up, cupping her swollen cheek so lightly it could hardly be classed as a touch, and then his mouth was on hers. He was always so staid and serious that she'd almost come to the conclusion she'd imagined the blazing passion he'd shown on the rooftop but she felt it spring to life as he came alive against her, like tiny forks of lightening rippling along her skin.

She leaned in towards him and he used his free hand to steady them, leaning it against the bed. It emitted a loud shriek and slid a few inches across the threadbare carpet, dislodging Lochie with a hard thump onto the floor. Slightly dazed by the sudden change to her equilibrium, Lochie peered at him shyly as he regained his feet.

"The wicked witch of the west is on her way back inside." Rick glanced over his shoulder at Cassidy standing in the adjoining doorway. "Personally I think you should carry on, she's running out of new things to complain about just lately."

Rick frowned, ready to jump to his wife's defence but Cassidy had already closed the door on them. When he turned back around Lochie wouldn't look at him. She got shakily to her feet, muttered something about talking to Hershel about her face and bolted.

* * *

><p>"Where are you going?" Daryl growled dangerously.<p>

"We still need food. We can't live here for the rest of our lives."

"No shit." She glared at him and he glared right back. "Why you heading into the trees?"

Cassidy squinted up at him, towering over her looking thunderous.

"Because walking down this road isn't getting us anywhere. I'm going to cut through the trees and see what I can find."

"Or get lost and starve to death." He snarled.

Cassidy gave him a look, still struggling with the laces on her boots.

"What makes you think there's somethin' out that way?"

She dug a hand into her pocket and tossed the folded up map at him.

"There's a clearing a few miles into the trees. A restaurant according to the map."

He scowled, glaring fiercely at the map and scratching his stubbled chin broodingly.

"You can come if you like." She offered slyly, quite enjoying the way his cheeks flushed angrily.

He didn't bother replying but when she set off away from the motel, he followed her in moody silence. He remained stubbornly silent as they made their way carefully through the trees, following the overgrown pathway marked on the map. They met no walkers, even when they reached the restaurant and they glanced at each other suspiciously. Even all the way out here there should have been a couple of people hanging around a restaurant. They approached the back door since it was closer to the tree line, creeping past a few abandoned dilapidated old trucks. When they slipped into the kitchen the overpowering stench of rotting bodies hit them like a slap in the face. What was left of a mutilated body was sprawled between the greasy cooker and the refrigerator, left wide open until the food had spoiled, adding to the smell. They moved past the body, scanning for any signs of walkers. They found a few more sets of remains scattered around the tiny dining area before making their way back to the kitchen.

"I have a really bad feeling." Cassidy shuddered, glancing over her shoulder nervously.

Daryl grunted but didn't reply as they searched the cupboards for salvageable food. They found a few tins they could take and some packets which would make unappetising meals but were better than burnt squirrel again. On their way out they discovered an overgrown vegetable patch. Most of it was rotted away but there were some potatoes, onions and some ugly red things neither of them could name, Cassidy managed to extricate from the ground in a relatively edible condition. As they were making their way back into the trees, Daryl froze. Cassidy dropped the bag of food and yanked out her knife, sharp eyes scanning the surrounding shadows.

"What's up?" She finally asked when he continued to stand there like a statue, glaring into the distance.

"Feet." He cocked his head. "They're making almost as much noise as you do."

She rolled her eyes but the hair was up on the back of her neck. She'd known something was going on out here.

"Coming this way?" She murmured calmly, the surprise being overtaken by her instincts.

"No." He leaned forwards slightly as if struggling to catch something, though she still couldn't hear a single thing. "Away."

"Near the motel?" She asked in alarm.

"Not yet." He shook his head and they looked at each other.

"What should we do?" She looked at him expectantly and he blinked in surprise, unused to people looking to him for answers.

"A group that big…" He cursed and chewed angrily on his lower lip. "I'll follow them, find out what they're after."

"Not on your own you won't." She disagreed firmly.

He looked ready to argue some more but she jutted her chin stubbornly. It didn't take them long to find the feet, after a few minutes Cassidy could hear them too. Daryl was right, they weren't bothering to keep quiet at all. They were arguing loudly about what to do with themselves. For a while there was the chance that they would be heading in the opposite direction but then a rather ratty looking skinny guy piped up about the motel and the possibility of survivors hiding out there hoarding all kinds of things. Cassidy's heart sank as she looked at Daryl's frowning profile. There were eight men altogether, not one of them looking like the kind of men you wanted to run into in a dark alley. Daryl tapped her arm and jerked his head and they slid away back into the trees.

Cassidy slung the food bag she'd hidden behind a tree back over her shoulder and they made their hasty way back towards the motel. Despite Daryl's reassurances that they were going in the opposite direction, Cassidy's heart was pounding heavily until they reached the motel and found it exactly as they'd left it. Carol went into ecstasies over their haul but Daryl snapped at her to round everybody up. She stared at him in surprise, glanced at Cassidy's drawn expression and scuttled off immediately.

It took a while but finally everyone had been rounded up besides the dank pool, huddled together on the dirty sun-loungers exchanging worried looks. They told them what they'd seen and the probability that those men were on their way right now. Beth looked ashen and Carol started trembling. Lochie, who was one of the bravest scrappiest people Cassidy had ever met, looked ready to keel over.

"What do we do?" She asked rather shakily, looking automatically at Cassidy and then at Rick.

Rick looked at Daryl, who looked at Cassidy. None of them said anything but Cassidy knew they were all thinking of Shane.

"Okay. First, everyone except the three of us needs to be out of sight. Carol and Beth should take Carl and stay away." Rick said thoughtfully, scrubbing his chin as he concentrated.

"Why?" Lori demanded immediately.

"Because we want to create the impression that we could cause them trouble if we need to, that we're not worth the effort it would take to bother us." Cassidy managed to get out between gritted teeth. "A child and people who look like they might keel over at the first sight of a gun kind of ruin that effect. No offence." She added for Carol and Beth's benefit.

"Everybody else needs to be spread out, we're going to have to open up the rooms we sealed. We need," He cut across Lori before she could get her oar in. "To make them think there're more of us than there are. Daryl and I will meet them and see if we can get rid of them politely. If it comes to it the rest of you need to look spread out as if you're a fraction of our group not all of it."

Cassidy left them to argue it out, grabbing Lochie's arm and yanking her away from the crowd.

"What're you-" She protested in surprise, trying to disengage her arm.

"I want you to go with Carl into the trees until this is over." Cassidy ordered.

"Excuse me? Why?"

"Look at you, Lochie. You're exactly the kind of prize those kind of men want."

Lochie winced, her sore face a riot of purple and black bruises already.

"I don't need-"

The two of them turned as Daryl hailed them irritably. Cassidy returned to his side and they were deep in discussion by the time Lochie realised Rick was walking towards her. Before she could bolt, he was standing right in front of her with the familiar worried frown puckering his forehead.

"Are you going to force me to run away too?" She snapped.

"No." He levelled a powerful gaze on her that made her want to squirm. "I was going to ask you to protect my son."

She flinched backwards a little.

"I… okay."

Far from looking relieved Rick looked more worried than ever as he nodded, hesitated for a moment and then went in search of Lori and Carl.

"I wanna say somethin' you won't like an' I don't want you to argue about it." Daryl said firmly.

"That sounds unlikely but I'm listening." Cassidy grinned.

"When they get here, ya goin' to stay out of sight."

She stiffened suspiciously.

"Oh. Am I?"

He was staring fixedly at her, his eyes bluer than she'd ever seen them. Instead of looking grumpy and impatient like usual, he looked serious.

"If the shit hits the fan, you're more useful-"

"Hey I can kill a man with my bare hands in three seconds flat, thank you very much." She cut him off peevishly.

"An' you can drop half of them with that rifle before they get anywhere near us. If ya need to."

She snapped her mouth closed with an audible click and squinted at him suspiciously.

"Really? You want me on sniper detail? Because this smacks an awful lot of trying to keep me safe."

He jutted his chin defiantly. They glowered at each other for an interminably long time, then Cassidy completely stunned him.

"Okay."

He goggled at her in amazement. They'd never agreed on anything without a blazing argument beforehand, which was usually then resolved horizontally.

"Okay. But only so I can keep your dumb ass alive, redneck." He flattened his lips to hide a smirk or a frown, but unable to prevent narrowing his eyes at her. "I mean it. I'm sort of… fond of you, Dixon. It'd be a shame to have to mount your pretty head on my wall before it eats someone alive."

She could have sworn he was rolling his eyes as he stalked away, muttering irritably to himself.

* * *

><p><strong>JDMlvr1<strong> – thanks I'm glad you liked it, here's your update

**LadyLecter47** – trust me if she isn't dead by that point, once that kid comes out of her she's going to get a decent thrashing

**JTellersOldLady** – I know but making him wait is just too much fun :D

**Katara Melody Cullen** – thanks very much :)

**deadorworse** – here's your update I hope you enjoy it

**sdwafford** – thanks I do try my best to keep it realistic, I don't really like fics where people just take the characters and do what they want with them even when it's totally out of character. Hope you like the update


	32. Chapter 24

A/N: Don't own (although I'd love to have my very own Norman Reedus :D) don't sue!

Lyrics are from 'Rain' by Patty Griffin

**Rain**

**Chapter Twenty Four**

It's hard to listen to a hard, hard heart  
>Beatin' close to mine<br>Poundin' up against the stone and steel  
>Walls that I won't climb<br>Sometimes a hurt is so deep, deep, deep  
>You think that you're gonna drown<br>Sometimes all I can do is weep, weep, weep  
>With all this rain fallin' down<br>Strange, how hard it rains now  
>Rows and rows of big dark clouds<br>When I'm holding on underneath this shroud  
>Rain<br>It's hard to know when to give up the fight  
>Some things you want will just never be right<br>It's never rained like it has tonight before  
>Now, I don't wanna beg you, baby<br>For something maybe you could never give  
>I'm not lookin' for the rest of your life<br>I just want another chance to live  
>Strange, how hard it rains now<br>Rows and rows of big dark clouds  
>When I'm holdin' on underneath this shroud<br>Rain

The afternoon sun was beating mercilessly down on every inch of her body as she sprawled on her front on the rather disgusting roof. In the few hours since Daryl and herself had seen those men, they'd done their best to make Rick's plan work. They'd removed the boards from all of the rooms. Each person was secreted in their assigned room, weapons at hand in case it came to that. Carol, Beth and Carl had taken a small supply of food and a gun for emergencies and had retreated to a sheltered clearing a little way into the trees where Cassidy could still see them from her vantage point on the roof. They'd been waiting in silence for nearly two hours and there was no sign of them yet. Through the scope of her rifle, Cassidy could see the tense faces appearing every few minutes in the dirty windows below her. Sweat trickled down her back and into her cleavage, running across her scalp and staining her shirt. It was unbearably hot, the roof offered no cover whatsoever but if she sat up she'd be visible from the tree line which would pretty much ruin her advantage.

Rick and Daryl were sitting in the centre of the block of rooms, working on the squirrels Daryl had caught. He'd gathered some more to back up their plan to pad their numbers. Cassidy shifted slightly until she could see them clearly through the scope. Every few seconds his gaze would flicker upwards, scan the surrounding area, then return to the squirrels. His dirty vest was sculpted to his back with sweat and she could see the muscles rigid with tension. She knew he hated presenting himself like a sitting duck, completely exposed apart from her protection, but their plan had more chance of succeeding if they looked unprepared for the attack. As if he sensed her scrutiny he cocked his head slightly in her direction. Movement caught her eye and she adjusted Vera. Three of the guys they'd seen were strolling in as if they owned the place. Rick and Daryl rose to meet them. Where were the other five?

Cassidy scanned the surrounding area. Eventually she saw a flicker of movement at he tree line behind the occupied rooms. She adjusted Vera until she could see them clearly. One of the men were scoping out the area. She found another behind the five rooms they had adapted. Three more were hunkered down between the trees waiting patiently for a signal. Cassidy felt her stomach twist uneasily. This wasn't what they'd expected. They'd expected them to barrel right in, not plan an ambush. She wiped her sweating palm on the back of her jeans. It could work. They could buy it and leave. Swivelling Vera she focused on the group. All five of them were bundles of tensed muscles. Daryl was silent, letting Rick do all the talking, exuding menace. She wished she could tell what they were saying, how it was going. Were they buying it?

She checked the others but they hadn't moved. She searched through the trees carefully, ensuring there were no others ready to spring. She swivelled back. They were still talking. She felt the hair rising up on her neck. Something was wrong. Rick should have signalled the others to show themselves by now. She focused in on the clearing where the others were hiding. They were bunched together tightly, their lips moving as they reassured each other. What was going on? Her bad feeling was getting stronger. She stared through the crosshairs at Daryl, then Rick. Rick was still talking, his gun was still tucked into his holster. She needed a sign, anything to indicate what was going on.

She watched Daryl. She knew him, knew his expressions and his tells. Rick signalling her would be glaringly obvious. She started counting, checking each group of men at regular intervals. They fidgeted and snapped at each other but didn't move. She felt wariness creeping up along her neck. Something was definitely going on. Where was that other guy? Her heart was fluttering like a trapped bird in her chest, she wasn't used to having others relying on her. Rick held up his hands plaintively, clearly saying something entreating. Daryl was fingering his knife, his brow drawn down and his frown glaringly obvious even from her distance.

The closest guy took a threatening step towards Rick. The Sheriff held his ground although his grip tightened fractionally on the handle of his gun. Cassidy scoped the other two. Both of them were eyeing Daryl warily and she felt a small flush of pride around her navel. Just as she was about to check on the other guys again, she saw a flash of movement out of the corner of her eye. Searching rapidly she managed to locate the missing guy darting around like a jack-rabbit. As he paused, glancing around the corner and peering at the five men grouped in the centre of the hotel rooms. Silver glinted in the bright sunlight and she felt goosebumps prickling all over her bare skin.

He had a gun with a silencer. He could creep up on them and they'd be dead before they even figured out what had happened. She weighed up her options. Rick was still trying to talk the other three around. The group in the trees were still shuffling from foot to foot, waiting for something. The guy who had been scoping it all out had vanished. He must be the signal-man. She searched the tree-line on a hunch until she found him crouching in the upper branches watching the five men like a hawk. The guy with the silencer was getting closer, he was almost close enough to shoot accurately.

She took a breath, counting her heartbeats until her mind was completely clear.

"Sorry, Rick." She muttered.

She searched for the signal man but he was gone. It was only the faintest shadow crossing her scope that saved her from the heel of a gun to her temple. She rolled away, as the signal man struck out again with a grunt. She was at a disadvantage, sprawled on her back as he flailed above her. She drew her foot back and slammed it as hard as she could into his crotch. He opened his mouth in a silent scream, staggering backwards on unsteady feet. He lurched for her in a furious haze, one hand gripping her neck in an iron grip. She felt his fingernails digging in, her delicate skin breaking against the pressure. The furious expression only had a split second to falter to surprise as she gripped his chin and the back of his neck and snapped sharply. The hand around her neck spasmed and then went slack.

He landed with a thud on the roof besides her but she was already scrambling back towards Vera. No one had noticed the mostly silent struggle. She found the man with the gun again and he crumpled to the ground in silence. The group in the clearing were next, one emitted a surprised grunt as the other dropped and the third one leapt to his feet before folding over like a puppet with the strings cut. She focused in on the three still arguing with Rick. They were completely alone now, just the three of them. The belligerent leader had a smug grin on his face but the mousy one besides him was squinting into the distance with narrowed eyes. She frowned. His eyes were darting suspiciously, he was searching for the signal man!

He dropped without a sound, the other two men shouted in surprise and then anger. Panicked shouts were ringing out as they realised their back up wasn't coming. Guns were drawn but Rick and Daryl shot them first and they landed heavily in an ungainly pile on top of their fallen friend. Rick peered down at them with an inscrutable expression on his face for a moment, then he looked up and glared at her. She sighed, turning away to dismantle Vera.

* * *

><p>"All disposed of?" She asked over her shoulder, sensing Daryl's presence behind her.<p>

He grunted but didn't reply. He stood behind her in silence as she carefully cleaned all of the parts and tucked Vera into her case. He was still leaning patiently against the wall, arms crossed watching her, when she locked the case and put it away.

"Did you need me to help?" She frowned, confused by the serious look on his face.

"We chucked 'em in with the walkers." Since this didn't answer her question she didn't reply. "Come here." He ordered.

Too surprised to argue she found herself rising from the bed and moving to stand before him. His hands encircled her face, forcing her chin up. She was trembling and she had been since she'd killed those men. And he'd known that. His hands were warm and rough against her skin. He was staring at her as if he could bore a hole straight into her thoughts. She knew he was looking for something, some explanation for why the shootings had affected her this way. And honestly she didn't have an answer to give him. She had killed people more innocent than those men and it had never affected her. She slipped out of his grasp, leaning around him. He growled questioningly.

"I'm putting my hat on the door knob."

"Why?"

She closed and locked the door.

"Do I have to spell it out for you, Dixon? How disappointing."

He opened his mouth then closed it, frowning at her. She stripped him of his shirt while he was still groping for something to say, sliding her small hands over his sweat and dust streaked torso. She nuzzled against his neck and inhaled deeply, sucking in gulps of his scent. He slipped his hands up under her shirt, pressing gently against each rib until she shivered. He lifted her up, cradling her tightly against him until every inch of their bodies were squashed against each other. He tossed her onto the bed rather unceremoniously and she giggled. She'd never tell him but she loved it when he got a little macho like this; throwing her around as if she weighed nothing and she really was just a waify girl looking to be rescued.

He was pleasantly heavy on top of her as he attacked her neck with vigour, struggling to get her shirt off at the same time. She gasped when the thin material came loose in the midst of a loud tearing noise. He grinned at her, flashing his teeth, his eyes glittering brightly in the half light of the room. She traced her fingers over the muscles in his back, sliding them under the band of his jeans and dragging her nails lightly over the delicate flesh swelling there. He shuddered, pressing his pelvis a little more firmly into hers.

A voice called through the door, followed by a tentative series of knocks.

"Fuck off!" Daryl growled in his meanest voice, tossing one of her boots at the door for good measure.

Cassidy giggled as Glenn beat a noisy hasty retreat, sounding like a herd of elephants trying to escape.

* * *

><p>"What took you two so long? I thought you were going to hibernate in that room for winter." Lochie grumbled the instant Cassidy made a starry-eyed completely satisfied entrance back into the world.<p>

"I'm thinking about it." She sighed when she saw the marks on Lochie's lip where she'd been chewing on it worriedly. "I don't want to know what crisis has hit now."

Lochie stuck her tongue out at her, examining her from head to toe. She'd only pulled on her jeans and, since hers was a mess of ripped fabric somewhere on the floor, Daryl's discarded shirt. Her boots weren't properly laced up and her hair was a bird's nest of tangles. Lochie pursed her lips.

"You whore." She announced succinctly and Cassidy rolled her eyes.

They were still squabbling like teenagers when Rick marched past looking as if he had the weight of the world on his shoulders. He avoided Cassidy's eye and she frowned.

"He's a bit upset." Lochie explained pointlessly, watching his retreating back and gnawing on her lip again.

"He'll get over it." Cassidy stretched and yawned, wanting very much just to retrieve the water she'd emerged for and then crawl back into her warm waiting bed currently containing a deliciously naked Daryl Dixon.

Lochie seemed to be completely lost in her reverie so she left her to it. It was almost a full five minutes later when Lochie finally realised that Cassidy had gone and she was alone staring into space. She glared at the once again closed door. Everyone was busy, either sorting through the food Cassidy and Daryl had recovered or working on the hotel. She couldn't see Rick though. Lori and Carl were cleaning bedding in one of the bathrooms but no Rick. Working on a hunch, she wandered a little way into the trees. Rick was sitting near where they'd burnt the bodies, hunched over staring into the distance. He leapt a mile into the air when she touched his shoulder lightly.

"Sorry." She sat down on the scrubby grass next to him. "It had to be done."

He cocked his head towards her, furrowing his brow.

"Those creeps you're beating yourself up over." She clarified. "If any of them had gotten away they'd have come back. Who knows what they'd have done." She shivered at the thought. "I know you can't forget about it but at least cut yourself some slack." She nudged him with her shoulder. "Think of me as the bad angel sitting on your shoulder."

His lips tweaked despite himself and she grinned. Sighing she lay back, peering at the sun peeking through the branches.

"Do you remember when we could lie here and look at the sky without being afraid of becoming lunch?"

Rick shrugged.

"I never had much time for that kind of thing."

"Oh come on, Sheriff. Before you became a badge I'm sure you had plenty of time for it. I bet you had plenty of girls looking up at the backs of trees too."

Rick flushed and laughed awkwardly, trying to wave it off.

"You're too modest, Sheriff!"

She continued to tease him until his face was redder than a stop sign and she finally relented. She glanced at him after a few moments of silence, hoping that she wasn't imagining that his face was a little lighter than it had been. He really did take too much onto his shoulders.

"So how are-" She swallowed, the words sticking in her throat. She really didn't want to know but she couldn't be his friend and only talk about the problems she could deal with. "How are things going with Lori?"

He averted his gaze, quite clearly not willing to talk about it.

"I know she's being difficult." Now she was choking on her words because she couldn't say what she actually meant without offending him. "She just needs time."

He scrubbed his hands over his face, his palms scratching loudly against his stubble.

"When was the last time you slept?" He shrugged. "Here."

She patted the grass besides her, indicating for him to lie down. He looked at her uncertainly but she repeated the motion.

"I'll keep watch. It's comfier out here on this grass than on that floor she's got you on."

She held up a hand to stem the flow of excuses, pushing his shoulder down gently but firmly. He looked completely bemused but he found himself obeying, the lure of a few hours of blissful ignorance too tempting to ignore.

"I'll just rest for a few minutes." He said firmly, leaning back until he felt the body heat of her thigh warm besides his cheek.

* * *

><p><strong>LadyLecter47<strong> – you have to hope that eventually she'll get what's coming to her. Cow. Hope you like the update :)

**XxNeverxLosexHopexX** – thanks

**JDMlvr1** – Rick is just too cute, he always looks like he needs a hug.

**Katara Melody Cullen** – thanks


	33. Chapter 25

A/N: Don't own (although I'd love to have my very own Norman Reedus :D) don't sue!

Lyrics are from 'Rain' by Patty Griffin

**Rain**

**Chapter Twenty Five**

It's hard to listen to a hard, hard heart  
>Beatin' close to mine<br>Poundin' up against the stone and steel  
>Walls that I won't climb<br>Sometimes a hurt is so deep, deep, deep  
>You think that you're gonna drown<br>Sometimes all I can do is weep, weep, weep  
>With all this rain fallin' down<br>Strange, how hard it rains now  
>Rows and rows of big dark clouds<br>When I'm holding on underneath this shroud  
>Rain<br>It's hard to know when to give up the fight  
>Some things you want will just never be right<br>It's never rained like it has tonight before  
>Now, I don't wanna beg you, baby<br>For something maybe you could never give  
>I'm not lookin' for the rest of your life<br>I just want another chance to live  
>Strange, how hard it rains now<br>Rows and rows of big dark clouds  
>When I'm holdin' on underneath this shroud<br>Rain

Cassidy grinned tiredly at Maggie as she clambered onto the roof to take over for her watch. She climbed to her feet, stretching and yawning. The nights were getting much too cold for the dawn watch. She could sense Maggie hovering behind her and she turned questioningly. The brunette's eyes were puffy from lack of sleep, her cheeks drawn and pale.

"You and Dixon…" At the last moment her courage seemed to desert her and she swallowed the rest of her words. "Nothing. Never mind."

Cassidy slid down from the roof and into their room. Daryl was sound asleep, coiled up like a sleeping golden lion on the far side of the bed. The sheets were drawn up around his waist, his bare chest and arms glowing in the moonlight. He looked peaceful. She glared at him. She had seen the way Carol had looked at him. Whatever they said to each other, he wouldn't tell her about it. In fact he grunted at her whenever she mentioned it.

"Wha' you doin'?" He mumbled sleepily, cracking open an eye at her.

She didn't reply, closing up the window behind her. Usually she slipped out of her clothes and crept under the sheets with him, relying on him to keep her warm. Feeling hard-done-by and angry at all three of them, she wriggled out of her jeans and shirt and pulled on a ratty pair of shorts and a vest. She could feel his eyes boring into her as she climbed stiffly between the sheets, turning her back on him.

He made an enquiring noise at the back of his throat and she felt the bed shift as he edged a little closer. She stiffened her back, curling in on herself. All she could think of was that image of the two of them, leaning towards one another exchanging murmured words he was keeping from her. Doubts were flooding her brain. All the things she'd told him, her secrets and innermost thoughts and he had never given her anything in return. Not to _her_ anyway. She was angry at herself. How could she have opened herself up to this? How could she have trusted him? She felt his hand on her hip, silently questioning. She rolled away from him, burying her face in her pillow. The suspicious burning at the back of her eyes only made her angrier.

"I think I'd have preferred it if you'd just screwed her."

She didn't realise she'd actually uttered the muffled words out loud until the silence behind her became deafening. He didn't say anything and she couldn't bring herself to actually have this conversation. So she curled up on the edge of the bed as far away as she could get.

* * *

><p>"We have a serious problem!"<p>

Rick squinted against the sun at the outline of Lochie's head. She was chewing on her lower lip worriedly, her hair standing on end where she'd run her fingers through it all morning.

"What's happened?"

Lochie grabbed his arm and dragged him around the building to where the others were spread out. She pointed at Cassidy.

"What?" Rick repeated in confusion.

"Look." Lochie insisted. "There's Cassidy."

Rick followed her pointed finger. Cassidy was sitting with Carl, helping him organise what was left of the food.

"Okay, now where's Daryl?"

Rick scanned the area. Daryl was fiddling with Merle's bike on the opposite side of the camp. Every now and then his gaze would flicker in Cassidy's direction and his frown would deepen.

"So?"

Lochie stared at him.

"They haven't spoken all day. When I went to take over watch from Maggie this morning, you could have driven a truck through the gap between them. Those beds really aren't that spacious."

"They probably had a fight." Rick shrugged.

"No! No." Lochie hissed. "When they fight they throw things, then make it up in the sack. This is something much worse."

"Just let them work it out." Rick advised.

Lochie looked about ready to burst into tears.

"Does she look like the kind of person who works out her issues in a sensible way?" She flounced off without waiting for a reply, marching right over to Daryl. "What have you done?"

Daryl glowered at her.

"Go away." He said roughly, in a dangerously calm voice.

"What have you done to her?! She looks like she's been crying. Cassidy never cries."

Daryl lurched to his feet, grabbing Lochie's arm in a painfully tight grip.

"I said fuck off." He hissed, shoving her away from him so violently that she stumbled.

"What the hell's going on?" Cassidy demanded, steadying a shaken Lochie.

"Nothing." Lochie said hastily.

"Sure, that's exactly what it looked like." Cassidy sneered. "Go help Carl."

Lochie opened her mouth to argue but Cassidy shot her a look and she scuttled off. Cassidy gave him a disgusted look and tried to stalk off, but Daryl grabbed her and almost yanked her off her feet pulling her back.

"What?" She demanded icily.

He looked down at her impotently, unable to find the right words.

"I'm not doing this." She said in a strangely clogged up voice. "I'm just… not doing this. This is not the time to get into some fucked up love triangle where everybody gets hurt."

He was gaping at her in confusion. She shrugged out of his grasp while he was distracted.

"I just can't believe I actually thought-" She broke off, glowering at him with suspiciously bright eyes.

"I don't know what you're talkin' about, lady." He protested, snatching her back when she tried to leave.

"I know." She snapped angrily.

"Daryl? Have you got a moment?"

Cassidy turned dark furious eyes on Carol. Her smile wavered and she took a frightened half-step back.

"I don't know, redneck. Why don't you think about it and let me know when you make up your mind."

Cassidy rushed away before he could open his mouth, wishing very much that she didn't feel as though a hand was clenching inside her chest.

* * *

><p>Returning from a pretty unsuccessful hunt with nothing but a few scrawny squirrels had not improved Daryl's miserable mood any. A quick glance around the makeshift camp offered no hint of Cassidy's whereabouts. She still wasn't talking to him and he still didn't know why. On his way past the pool he was distracted by giggling. Lochie and Cassidy were sitting on the edge of the pool, feet dangling over the edge of the drained bowl. They were giggling wildly, heads close together chattering between the fits of giggles. Daryl was stunned, until he noticed the two empty bottles glistening in the sun besides them.<p>

"Are you two DRUNK?" Daryl thundered, looking quite ready to breathe fire as he towered over them.

"I sure hope so." Lochie giggled. "We've totally run out of booze."

Cassidy wobbled precariously as she rocked back laughing, very nearly tumbling into the deep end of the drained pool. Daryl was speechless, so used to Cassidy being alert and completely in control, ready for anything, seeing her like this was like a shock of cold water.

"What's goin' on?" He demanded, glaring from one to the other.

"You said it yourself, redneck." Cassidy took a gulp from an almost empty bottle in her lap. "We're drunk."

"Oh so drunk." Lochie agreed cheerfully, snatching the bottle from Cassidy and slugging some down. "We're drowning our sorrows. Soothing our broken hearts by pickling them in cheap alcohol. Cheers." She saluted Daryl with the bottle and swallowed some more of the pungent liquor.

Cassidy hadn't looked at him yet, although from the bright glitter of her eyes he was pretty sure she was having troubling focusing on anything with any real clarity right now. Lochie leaned over to Cassidy, whispered something in her ear and then covered her face with her hands to hide her snorts of laughter. Cassidy sputtered, choking on her giggles and Daryl flushed bright pink.

"I-" Lochie clambered ungainly to her feet, clinging onto Daryl for balance. "Need more alcohol."

"The hell you do." Daryl snarled, yanking her upright rather unceremoniously. "Go drink some water and lie down. Now."

Lochie stuck her tongue out and weaved off.

"I better make sure she doesn't get eaten." Cassidy muttered to herself, making it onto her feet after the third try.

Daryl grabbed her before she plummeted into the empty pool. Cassidy jerked her arm out of his grip, stumbling back a few steps and further onto firm earth.

"Don't…" She finally looked at him, the alcohol had stripped her walls and defences down. She looked young, confused and broken. Daryl felt sick. "I… don't feel good." She staggered and he reached for her automatically. "Not good… at all."

She stumbled and this time he did catch her. She looked at him as if she'd never seen him before and it sent him reeling. He propped her up against him, leading her towards their room. She tripped and when he steadied her, he realised she'd passed out.

"What happened?" Rick asked worriedly as he came hurrying over.

"Drunk." Daryl grunted as he manoeuvred her into their room. "Better check on Lochie."

Rick eyed the prone form of Cassidy sprawled on the bed, then darted off to find Lochie.

"No. Don't touch me." Cassidy protested thickly, struggling against him as he tired to remove her boots.

"Calm down! It's just me, Red." Daryl grunted as she managed a sneaky blow at his solar plexus with her elbow.

"I know. Let go. Don't touch me. Don't hurt-"

Daryl felt like she'd punched him in the gut with something blunt and heavy.

"I'm not gonna hurt ya." He murmured around the blockage in his throat.

"Again?" At least that's what he thought she'd muttered stonily into her pillow before she passed out again.

Trying not to think about it, he tugged off her boots and jeans and covered her with the sheets.

* * *

><p>"Lochie, you need to come down." Rick entreated, trying not to look at her. She had somehow found a bikini, that covered very little, amongst her things and had clambered up onto the diving board. "Please?"<p>

"Why?" Lochie called down, jiggling a little on her toes until the board shuddered creakily. "Pretty sure I'd notice a walker sneaking up on me up here."

Rick couldn't argue with her logic. After some more cajoling, and a few threats, she finally climbed down.

"Where did you put your clothes?" He asked sternly.

Lochie shrugged, tiptoeing delicately around the edge of the pool.

"Dunno. Why don't you offer me your shirt like a gentleman? Come on, Sheriff, I'll Ro Sham Bo you for it."

Rick stared at her. Lochie stared back with her hands on her hips, then wobbled. She sat down very suddenly.

"Why did you get yourself like this?" Rick chastised, offering her his hands to help her to her feet.

She lost her footing, bouncing off him until he steadied her.

"What do you care?" She giggled. "Are you going to arrest me, Sheriff?" She turned and squinted at the camp. "Not even a chance of getting laid."

Rick blinked.

"Okay, you really need to sleep this off."

"You're not the boss of me." Lochie pouted, trying to shove away from him but stumbling and sliding back against him. "You don't want to sleep with me, what do you care if I sleep with T-Dog or Glenn or… or Hershel!"

"Hershel? Really?"

Lochie tried to maintain her glare but the look on Rick's face was just too funny. He took her arm and guided her to her room. She collapsed onto her bed with a groan. She was still groaning when he returned with some water and a t-shirt.

"So what's this all about?" He asked, feeding her the bottle of water and brushing her hair out of her face as she obediently drank.

"Cassidy." Lochie mumbled, pulling on the t-shirt with some difficulty. "Whoa. There's spinning."

She lay down and squeezed her eyes shut, groaning piteously. Rick waited. Eventually she rolled over towards him.

"She's upset about Daryl. And Carol. Something. I don't really remember. She doesn't talk a lot, you know. She was upset. I know that."

"And you thought getting paralytic would help."

"Abso-fucking-lutely."

Rick tried hard to keep his serious face on, even when she peeped up at him wretchedly.

"I'm pretty sure you'll regret it tomorrow." Rick pushed her hair off her face, feeling the scorching heat of her cheeks.

Lochie shrugged, dragging the sheet over her head.

"Anything for a friend, right?"

* * *

><p>Bright burning sunlight seared across her vision. Loud voices echoing and clanging in her poor aching head. She was dying. She'd been bitten and this was the fever. The sun got even brighter and she rolled away from it irritably. Mistake. Her stomach kept right on rolling without her permission. She staggered off the bed, her foot tangling in her discarded sheets and depositing her in an ungainly pile on the rather disgusting floor. She crawled into the bathroom and hung her head into the toilet, which was exactly the position she was still in when Daryl returned from his watch to check on her.<p>

"How you doin' in there?"

Retching was followed by coughing.

"Dying."

He stomped into the room, all of his anger dissipating when he saw her sprawled pathetically on the floor still in just her t-shirt and underwear with her head down the toilet.

"Here." He handed her some water.

She took it, avoiding his eye. He leaned against the doorframe and surveyed her. They had never had any problems communicating in their own way before. Now he didn't know how to bridge the gap she'd put between them.

"Anythin' you want?"

She threw up again, then rinsed her mouth out with the water.

"Bacon double cheeseburger and chilli cheese fries."

He snorted.

"Sure that's a good idea?"

"You asked what I wanted."

The usual playful tone was gone. Daryl felt like he'd swallowed a pile of rocks and they'd settled heavily in the base of his stomach. It wasn't the cold shoulder, he was pretty used to that from women, it was how much it bothered him. He felt like his best friend had cut him off without a word of explanation, like he was missing a lung and he had to work twice as hard to breathe.

"You don't have to hang around. I've managed a hangover on my own before. Admittedly never without Top Gear and some bacon but I'm sure I can cope."

"Two bottles of whiskey and a bottle of vodka. That's gonna be some hangover." He observed.

She shrugged, wiping cold sweat from her forehead with a shaking hand.

"I was hoping for some memory loss."

Daryl had the feeling that was supposed to be a dig of some sort so he didn't reply. Rick appeared in the doorway behind Daryl, studying Cassidy anxiously. Cassidy lifted a hand in greeting.

"Lochie's pretty much the same." He informed Daryl, scratching his chin.

"Remind me never to take these gals on." Daryl muttered darkly, eyeing the empty bottles clinking in Rick's hands.

"They did knock it back." Rick admitted. He half turned towards Daryl, looking at him out of the corner of his eye. "Can you take her watch?"

Daryl nodded, wondering why Rick looked too embarrassed to meet his gaze. Rick nodded at him and left rather hastily. Daryl looked at Cassidy, curled around the grimy toilet looking worse than any walker he'd ever seen.

"Wanna talk 'bout it?" He asked stiffly, the concept foreign on his tongue.

"About what?" Cassidy swirled some water around her mouth to remove the acrid taste.

"Whatever. Why you got like this." Daryl accused, swallowing uncomfortably and wiping his sweating palms on his jeans. "Why you won't-"

She half-looked at him. He looked right back at her. They were teetering, balancing on a knife edge.

"Daryl?" Carl's timid voice preceded him into the room. "Carol was looking for you."

Daryl was watching Cassidy, he saw the shuttered look flash across her pale face and a glimmer of understanding flickered to life at the back of his mind.

"Better hop to it, redneck."

He scowled, stomping out of the room. Carl tiptoed in and peered at Cassidy with big worried eyes.

"Are you okay?"

Cassidy groaned and then offered him a wavery smile with evident effort.

"This is what alcohol does to you, kid."

Carl frowned.

"Is it worth it?"

"At the time, yes. Absolutely." Cassidy laughed, then winced as hot pain needled through her brain.

"Doesn't look like it."

She grinned.

"That bad, huh?"

Carl tried his very hardest to shrug it off but Cassidy staggered painfully to her feet and squinted into the mirror.

"Oh god." She winced, eyeing the mess looking back at her.

"Maybe you should go back to bed." Carl suggested timidly.

"Have you seen Lochie?" Cassidy asked as Carl helped her limp back into the bedroom, every footstep like an anvil on her head.

"Yes." Carl took her elbow as she stumbled over her discarded boots.

"How does she look?" Cassidy breathed a sigh of relief as she gained the safety of the bed, clinging to it gratefully.

Carl laughed nervously, watching Cassidy crawl back onto the bed.

"She's curled up in a blanket in the shade with Glenn's hat and my sunglasses."

"Is she talking or making those little noises like a cat stuck in a toaster?"

Carl cocked his head thoughtfully.

"Bit of both." He announced after careful consideration.

Cassidy laughed.

"I've seen her in worse conditions. She'll live." She peeped open an eye when he didn't reply. He was looking upset and edgy. "Spit it out, kid."

"I heard Maggie talking. About you… and Daryl… and Carol."

Carl was blushing furiously, his head ducked so low she could see the back of his neck.

"Don't worry about it, kid. It's fine."

"Are you sure? It's just that… you don't look real happy." Carl said quietly, looking at her with big sad eyes. "You look… and Daryl-" Carl broke off with a scared look over his shoulder, as if he expected Daryl to be lurking.

"Really, everything's going to be okay. Don't sweat it, kid."

"That's what my dad keeps saying about my mom." He told his lap sadly.

"This is totally different." Cassidy protested, putting her hand on his and patting it awkwardly.

He blinked at her hand in amazement.

"Why are you mad at him?"

Cassidy groaned.

"Please. Not now. I'm dying here." She pleaded miserably. "I can't think about Daryl Dixon. Everything hurts."

Carl got up, looking at the door in alarm.

"It's the hangover." She reassured him before he ran for help. "Look, we'll talk about it later. When I'm not seeing in triple-vision."

"He made you mad, right?" Carl said warily. "Can't he just apologise?"

"Daryl Dixon? Apologise?" Cassidy snorted, wincing at the pain it sent through her head. "It's not just something he did; it's what he might do. It's whether I want to be around if he does do it. It's whether it's worth it or not."

"Worth what?" Carl frowned, completely at a loss.

"Pain." Cassidy sighed. "Trust me, kid. You'll understand when you're older."

"That's what everyone says." He muttered mutinously.

Cassidy groaned again, burying her head under a pillow and whimpering. Carl pulled her sheet up around her and tucked it in.

"I'll go get you some more water." He said quietly.

"Thanks, kid."

* * *

><p><strong>piratejessieswaby<strong> – glad you do :)

**LadyLecter47** – me too, I'm saving the first few episodes for when I have time to watch them all at once :D can't wait

**Synvara** – I'm getting there, she'll get what's coming to her. I'm thinking of something nasty happening to Carol, just to keep her hands off Daryl. How dare she grrrr. Glad you like my characters lol

**JellyBear7** – thanks here's your update

**JDMlvr1** – I'm glad you're liking it, personally I'd drop Lori off a very high building but you know those writers lol


	34. Chapter 26

A/N: Don't own (although I'd love to have my very own Norman Reedus :D) don't sue!

Lyrics are from 'Rain' by Patty Griffin

Apologies for the uber late update, things have been somewhat hectic with switching jobs and whatnot. Secondly, I cannot wait to catch this fic up to the show and write certain death scenes and ensuing reactions :D Thirdly, I'm toying with the idea of a festive Daryl special. Just for fun.

**Rain**

**Chapter Twenty Six**

It's hard to listen to a hard, hard heart  
>Beatin' close to mine<br>Poundin' up against the stone and steel  
>Walls that I won't climb<br>Sometimes a hurt is so deep, deep, deep  
>You think that you're gonna drown<br>Sometimes all I can do is weep, weep, weep  
>With all this rain fallin' down<br>Strange, how hard it rains now  
>Rows and rows of big dark clouds<br>When I'm holding on underneath this shroud  
>Rain<br>It's hard to know when to give up the fight  
>Some things you want will just never be right<br>It's never rained like it has tonight before  
>Now, I don't wanna beg you, baby<br>For something maybe you could never give  
>I'm not lookin' for the rest of your life<br>I just want another chance to live  
>Strange, how hard it rains now<br>Rows and rows of big dark clouds  
>When I'm holdin' on underneath this shroud<br>Rain

"'Scuse me?"

Carl trembled under Daryl's dark glower, but he straightened his spine and tilted his chin defiantly.

"She doesn't want to see you." He repeated in a quavery but rebellious voice. "She's still sick."

"She's not sick. She's hungover. Self inflicted." Daryl leaned a little closer and increased his glare. "Move."

"No." It came out as a bit of a squeak, but Carl had squared his stance just as Cassidy had taught him when expecting an attack.

Daryl didn't know who was more surprised, him or the boy.

"What's going on?" Rick demanded, scenting trouble.

"Cassidy doesn't want to see him." Carl blurted before Daryl could say anything.

Rick looked surprised.

"She's still not talking to you?"

Daryl scowled and Rick flushed. He moved past Carl into the dimly lit room. Cassidy was half-sitting up in the bed, frowning at Carl's back in the doorway. He'd sat by her for the rest of the day while she recovered, getting her fresh water and cool damp towels and even tucking back her hair when she threw up. She had tried to send him away but he wouldn't listen and honestly, it was quite nice to be looked after for once. He'd just brought her some broth when Daryl had followed him to the room.

She looked up at Rick tiredly. She looked drawn and exhausted and he had a feeling it was more than just the hangover.

"How you feeling?" Rick asked, sitting down on the edge of the rumpled bed.

She sighed, pushing her hair away from her face and avoiding his penetrating stare.

"He's pretty attached to you." Rick glanced at the door where his son and Daryl were still glaring at each other.

"Which one?" Cassidy smiled grimly.

"Hey!" Carl shouted as Daryl shouldered past him roughly.

"Come on, Carl." Rick beckoned to his son. "Let's get some dinner."

Carl tossed a look at Cassidy over his shoulder and she winked at him. Daryl barged into the bathroom without looking at her. She knew he was mad at her for not explaining what was wrong but she felt ridiculous, blubbing at him like a little girl. And a little part of her thought that he should know what had hurt her without her having to explain.

She heard him washing, banging around moodily. She swirled her spoon around in the broth miserably. How did any of this even happen? She felt hatred twist in her gut. Then anger. She was so angry at herself for getting so attached. She wasn't quite sure when she'd gone from fond sex with someone whose company she enjoyed, to whatever it was that was now twisting her guts into knots every time she saw either of them.

The spoon clattered against the plastic bowl as her hand trembled angrily at the thought of Carol. Maybe she'd just been around these people too long. Maybe she should leave. Would Lochie leave Rick behind? She knew it was sliding further away from just a crush, even if Lochie didn't yet. She was still pondering the complexities when Daryl emerged. His hair was damp, dripping onto his shoulders and staining his shirt. Her stomach fluttered, heat pooling into every inch of her body. This would be so much easier if she didn't still want him so much.

* * *

><p>"Look at him, stomping around like a big old bear with a sore head." Lochie scoffed as Daryl stomped past with a face like thunder, scattering Glenn, Maggie and Beth like skittles as they scurried to get out of his way.<p>

Rick glanced up from the map he was perusing with a frown. He watched Daryl's departing back, then followed Lochie's gaze to Cassidy and Carl going through some basic exercise stretches in the shade of the hotel.

"Thought we were supposed to be worrying about them?"

Lochie snorted and flapped her hand dismissively at him.

"Nah, that's nothing."

Rick looked from Cassidy to Daryl doubtfully.

"I remember what she's mad about." Lochie announced smugly. "She'll get over it."

Rick studied Cassidy and Carl absently. Her lean body was displayed by her raggedy shorts and vest as she contorted her limbs to pull on her muscles. Realising he'd been staring, Rick turned hastily away, flushing pink. Lochie eyed him in amusement.

"Don't worry, everyone else is drooling too." She jerked her head towards Glenn and T-Dog, pausing in their assessment of the pool filtration system to gawp covertly.

Maggie sidled over with a question for Rick, staying to see what Lochie found so amusing.

"Aren't you jealous?" Lochie asked her curiously as Glenn dropped a heavy fan onto his toe in his distracted state.

"Nah." Maggie shrugged, eyeing him fondly as he apologised profusely to Hershel. "I'm pretty sure she isn't after anyone else any time soon. Besides, she'd eat him alive."

"There wouldn't be much left after Daryl got through with him." Lochie observed.

"He's got more self-preservation than that." Maggie winked and went to save Glenn from himself before he did himself an injury.

"They're cute." Lochie sighed wistfully. "I wonder if T-Dog is single."

Rick frowned, the line between his eyes deepening. Lochie caught his strange expression and she shifted uneasily at his scrutiny.

"I was joking." She said stiffly. "T-Dog's lovely but he's my homeboy and that would just be weird." She flashed him her bright grin but his face remained dark. "What do you care anyway?"

Rick didn't reply, just continued to stare at her in that disconcerting manner, as if he were seeing her for the first time.

"I hope she gets over it soon, we're rapidly running out of alcohol."

"You shouldn't have done that." Rick pounced on the safe topic immediately.

"Why? I'm old enough to drink, Sheriff, I swear. I'd show you my I.D. but I left it at home."

She fluttered her eyelashes at him.

"It's dangerous." He said sternly. "You could have been attacked if you'd wandered away from camp."

"We were drunk, not stupid." Lochie snorted. "If I recall I was quite content on the diving board before you harshed my buzz."

"I'm surprised you remember anything about that night, the state you were in." Rick grumbled, feeling heat flush over his body at the memory of her in that bikini.

"I remember practically everything, thank you very much." Lochie sniffed haughtily.

"Everything?" Rick lifted an eyebrow.

"Yes even the rant about Daryl and his many flaws. I'm pretty sure there were some dirty secrets about them I was never supposed to tell anyone." Lochie wrinkled her brow as she tried to penetrate the hazy fog of memory.

"You are a mean drunk." Rick grumbled, rubbing his arm where she'd punched him in jest and left a large purple bruise.

"I was angry. Dumbass redneck breaking my girl's heart. Don't know who he thinks he is. Just because he's got an ass like that doesn't mean he can go around fu-"

"Okay." Rick interrupted before she could get into full flow. "He's a good guy."

Lochie swore loudly and Rick shook his head at her reprovingly.

"I don't know what happened-" He held up his hand to cut her off before she could start. "Yes I got the x-rated drunken version, but I don't think it's our place."

Lochie sighed.

"You're too good, Sheriff. Anyone else would have kicked some sense into that woman by now but you… you just keep waiting."

Rick gaped at her, completely thrown by the lightening change of topic.

"I can't believe she's still giving you the cold shoulder." Lochie continued, her eyes narrowing as Lori approached Carol a few feet away. "I'm not a fan of violence against women, especially pregnant ones, but don't you just want to grab her and shake her?" She fell silent and a naughty glitter appeared in her eye. "Well there is a solution. I could slap her until some common sense or moral decency shakes loose."

She cackled evilly, leaping down from her seat on the bonnet of a broken down truck literally rusted into the ground.

"No." Rick grabbed her hand, not pulling her back but exerting enough pressure with his pleading eyes to make her stop.

"Why do you let her do this to you?" She asked, more gently than she had intended.

"She's my wife."

He seemed to be silently pleading with her to understand something, something he wasn't quite sure he understood himself.

"Are you sure?" We're all clinging to the past in one way or another. Let go, Sheriff."

He wasn't sure if she meant his marriage or his grip on her hand, either way he wasn't quite sure he could do either.

"You think you have to be this person; saviour, husband, leader. You're trying to live up to something no one could ever possibly be." Lochie took a ragged breath, slipping her hand out of his grasp. "Just be Rick Grimes. No titles, no responsibilities. Just you. It'll make you feel better." She took a step away, feeling a little delicate. "Don't lose yourself, you might not find it so easily one day."

* * *

><p>What the hell was going on? First Cassidy was acting like a crazy nutjob, now Carol kept appearing all over the place wanting to "talk". And Lochie kept giving him that awful wide-eyed kicked-puppy expression. He had no idea what to do. All these women were driving him up the freaking wall! Cassidy wouldn't even speak to him. Forget that, she wouldn't even look at him. Every time he got near her, her back went all rigid and her eyes went all flat and black. Occasionally he'd catch a glimpse of her when she thought no one was looking, her face would be a heartbreaking mixture of confusion and melancholy that made his insides turn to ice. He knew he'd hurt her, he just didn't know how. She'd withdrawn from the others too. Well from the only people she bothered with anyway. Carl had taken to watching her morosely across the fire when they ate.<p>

Daryl watched her cleaning Vera slightly apart from the others. Every time he woke up he felt anxiety clutch at his stomach as he waited to see if she'd left in the middle of the night or not. Strangely, she still shared his bed. She wouldn't touch him though, and he'd given up trying to draw her in that way. He was bewildered. He wanted things to go back to the way they were, he didn't understand what he'd done to shatter something deep inside her. As he watched, Lochie sidled over to her with some supper. Using the darkening gloom of twilight as a cover, he crept over to them.

"I know you love him but you need to talk about it. I really don't think he knows what he's done. I don't know about Carol but I'm sure he doesn't think of things that way. He was just being there for her after Sophia…" Lochie's voice got a little shaky and she seemed to take a few deep breaths. "Please don't do this. I know you're ill-equipped to deal with heartache but this really isn't the way."

"Maybe I do love him, maybe that's why this is best."

Daryl stared at Cassidy's profile, completely thunderstruck. No one had ever said they loved him before. He'd never told anyone that he loved them before either. Did he love her? He tried to think how he felt when he saw her, when she woke up all tousled first thing in the morning, when she teased him or answered him back. He felt a whole spectrum of unfamiliar emotions swirling through his chest. Maybe one of them was love. He did know that the few days when she hadn't been talking to him had been the most miserable since he'd met her. He knew that every time he realised that she wasn't talking to him all over again, that he couldn't just saunter over and whisper something thoroughly inappropriate in her ear to see if he could make her laugh, his heart seemed to stutter and a fresh surge of misery crashed over him. Was it love to want to spend every conscious moment with someone? To feel as if you were missing a limb when you couldn't talk to that person? He felt uncomfortable just thinking about it. Emotions weren't his thing. What he knew was that he needed to talk to her again.

He was drawn out of his reverie by Lochie walking past him. Cassidy was still sitting there, Vera carefully packed into her case on her knee. As always she seemed to know he was there. He sat down on the ground besides her in silence, searching for the words he needed.

"You're not in love with Carol, are you?"

Stunned by the ridiculous question, he stared at her.

"'Course not!"

"She's real attached to you."

Daryl felt heat flushing up his neck and he shook his head.

"I'm serious, Dixon. If anything happens between you two…"

"Nothin' is going to happen." He promised firmly.

"Better not." A hint of her old attitude was back in her voice and something below his stomach jumped at the sound. "You don't even want to know how I'd punish you."

Carol passed by them, deep in conversation with Hershel and Daryl felt Cassidy tense besides him.

"Look, redneck." Cassidy paused, her brow was wrinkled as she struggled for something. "I care about you." She finally managed to get out, sounding as if every single word was being physically dragged out of her by rusty iron hooks buried in her chest.

Daryl scrambled for words, for anything but he was coming up empty. His mouth had gone dry and no amount of swallowing was easing his condition. He licked his lips.

"Don't go all soft on me, redneck." She interrupted before he could dig his own verbal grave. "We both know that purty mouth weren't made for nothin' but sweet talk and dirty behaviour."

Daryl flushed to the roots of his hair, his face burning hotly as she smirked at him.

"I think I liked it better when you weren't talkin'." He snapped.

She stuck her tongue out at him.

"You're just so damn purty when you pout sweetbutt."

Daryl uttered a string of obscenities and flounced off into the dark. Cassidy allowed herself a small heartfelt smile. At least she hadn't cried all over him. Her smile flickered when she saw Carol sitting with Lori nearby. First thing's first, some ground rules were going to have to be laid out. She didn't know who that woman thought she was, but if she thought she was getting her hands on her man… she had another thing coming. Cassidy frowned. Had she actually just thought that? For real? Jesus H Christ. A few days without speaking to him, a minor bout of jealousy and this is what happens. Unbelievable.

* * *

><p>"You're talking again!" Lochie squealed, bouncing over to her. "We should celebrate."<p>

"The hell we should." Cassidy grimaced. "Don't tell me there's any alcohol left around here."

"When have you ever known me to be unable to procure alcohol?"

Cassidy scrutinised Lochie's wide-eyed innocent expression carefully.

"You hoarded some, didn't you?" Lochie blinked although her smile didn't falter. Cassidy grinned. "Well you have two options; spar with me or tell me what happened with the sheriff that night."

Lochie went from red to white and back again faster than a traffic light. She eyed Cassidy uncertainly, then her eyes narrowed and a sneaky glint appeared in her eye.

"Okay, we can do the girly talk thing but it works both ways." She leaned closer to add in a conspiratorial whisper; "You have to spill."

Cassidy glared at her.

"Sparring it is then."

"Can I come?"

Lochie jumped a foot into the air, whirling on Carl standing innocently next to her.

"You've been hanging around her too long." She complained sulkily, embarrassed that a kid had gotten the drop on her.

"Can I?" Carl repeated, completely unrepentant.

"You can watch and then I'll work with you a bit." Cassidy watched him scamper off happily to get them some fresh water. "I think we've been a bad influence on that kid."

Lochie leaned around her to eye his departing back thoughtfully.

"Nah. Look at the squares keeping an eye on him. Badly. We're the best thing that ever happened to him." She declared wisely, looping her arm through Cassidy's.

* * *

><p><strong>Piratejessieswaby<strong> – all in due time

**Eternalshifter** – no there isn't a chapter missing, it was just sort of a behind the scenes look concerning those glances between Carol and Daryl that are really pissing me off :)

**Syria13** – the chant is memorised, sticking pins into a Lori doll obviously worked so I'll dig out a Carol one

**JDMlvr1** – ah secrets :D I'm seriously hoping something happens to Carol, the woman needs to be rescued too much

**Saphireblue987** – thanks very much, here's an update for you. I liked writing them too :)

**JTellersOldLady** – well I couldn't keep them apart for too long, there'd be hell to pay from my readers :) I really hate how woman are portrayed in the show, they're either psychos (Michonne) or whiny trying too hard bimbos (Andrea) or useless damsels in distress (Carol and Lori) only Maggie is even slightly interesting and worth noticing.

**LadyLecter47** – me too. Hope the hurricane didn't affect you too badly. Hope you like the update

**Adriana Afton** – thanks a lot

**Kaleiburzz** – yup she does have an accent, but not the stereotypical accent British people usually have in American shows that no one in England actually has lol glad you're liking it


	35. Christmas Drabble

A/N: Don't own (although I'd love to have my very own Norman Reedus :D) don't sue!

Lyrics are from 'Rain' by Patty Griffin

Just a little Christmas drabble, I know it's late but I was working all of Christmas and New Year and now I have a chest infection so just be grateful. New chapter to follow soon :)

**Rain**

**Christmas Drabble**

It's hard to listen to a hard, hard heart  
>Beatin' close to mine<br>Poundin' up against the stone and steel  
>Walls that I won't climb<br>Sometimes a hurt is so deep, deep, deep  
>You think that you're gonna drown<br>Sometimes all I can do is weep, weep, weep  
>With all this rain fallin' down<br>Strange, how hard it rains now  
>Rows and rows of big dark clouds<br>When I'm holding on underneath this shroud  
>Rain<br>It's hard to know when to give up the fight  
>Some things you want will just never be right<br>It's never rained like it has tonight before  
>Now, I don't wanna beg you, baby<br>For something maybe you could never give  
>I'm not lookin' for the rest of your life<br>I just want another chance to live  
>Strange, how hard it rains now<br>Rows and rows of big dark clouds  
>When I'm holdin' on underneath this shroud<br>Rain

"What are you doing?" Daryl grumbled, burying his head back under the pillow when the rustling he'd been trying to ignore became unbearable.

"Never you mind." Lochia piped up in an irritatingly cheerful voice that made him want to strangle her.

Carl giggled and Daryl gave up, throwing himself into a sitting position and glaring at them. Lochia ignored him, concentrating on whatever she was fiddling with in her lap.

"Can't you do that in your own room?" Daryl griped peevishly.

"No." Lochie announced flatly, cursing when she pricked her finger on the needle in her hand.

"Let me put it another way. Fu-"

The door flounced open and Cassidy appeared, yawning widely. Daryl fell silent and turned his glower onto her. She'd been disappearing for the last two days. Hours at a time would go by with no one having any idea where she was or what she was doing.

"Out." Cassidy ordered.

Lochie and Carl scampered out of the door without a word of complaint. Daryl scowled mutinously when she laughed.

"Where've you been?" He demanded sulkily, turning away from her and huddling back under the blankets.

"Why? Have you missed me?" She teased, crossing into the bathroom to rinse off her hands.

Daryl muttered something under his breath grouchily. He was not enjoying being sick at all. He half dozed, listening to the sounds of her moving around the room as she changed her clothes and checked her weapons. It was a comforting sound, kind of calming in the hectic aftermath of an apocalypse. He stirred drowsily when he heard her pulling on her jacket.

"Where're you going?" He slurred slightly, pushing back the sheets so he could see her properly.

"Out." She replied unhelpfully, strapping her knife to her thigh absently.

He muttered something under his breath again and she grinned, crossing the room towards the bed. It was a sign of how sick he was that he didn't reach for her as soon as she was within range. She pushed his hair off his damp forehead, perching on the edge of the bed. He had developed a fever almost overnight and Cassidy had been frantic with fear that he had been bitten but in the end they'd determined it was the flu from getting soaked through the day before. He was not a cheerful patient.

"I'll be back soon. Keep drinking fluids and stay warm." She ordered, giving him a dark look when he opened his mouth to protest.

She didn't know who was more surprised of the two of them when she bent down and pressed her lips to his burning forehead.

* * *

><p>"What's going on?" Lochie asked warily, her gaze flickering from Carl to Rick and back again.<p>

Rick nudged Carl. The boy's freckled cheeks were pink as he handed her a small piece of cloth. Lochie eyed it suspiciously, then peeled apart the two edges of the cloth gingerly. A small circlet of delicate flowers lay in the centre of the cloth. The sweet smell of the tiny blooms drifting up as she inhaled in surprise.

"Whoa."

Lochie carefully removed the circlet to examine it more closely. The flowers were intricately woven around what she assumed was a metal hanger bent into a rough circle.

"Where did you even find-"

"Cassidy found most of the flowers." Carl replied honestly, fidgeting nervously on the spot. "It's for Christmas." He continued shyly.

Lochie ran her finger along the soft pearly pink petals. It wouldn't last long but the thought was irresistibly sweet. Lochie placed the circlet onto her head. She cocked her head so he could see it from all angles.

"Thank you, sweetie." She bent down and kissed his flushed freckled cheek.

He grinned embarrassedly and dashed off. Lochie studied Rick from under her lashes.

"Thanks."

He blinked shiftily and she grinned.

"Come on, Carl's a sweetheart but he did not have the patience to sit and do all this." She waved airily at her head. "Especially when he's been helping me with my project."

Rick shrugged it off although he didn't deny it.

"I was going to get you something but… you know… apocalypse."

Rick smiled, his tired eyes lighting up and Lochie smiled shyly. She leaned up onto her tiptoes, pressing her lips to his in a brief lingering kiss that made his toes curl. He could smell the flowers in her hair and the sweet underlying scent that was distinctly Lochie. His hands touched her elbows, steadying her against him and she felt her heart flutter. She had never met a man who would think of steadying her as he kissed her. All of the men she had been with had immediately grabbed onto something much softer and much less appropriate. Eventually Rick pulled away and frowned.

"What's digging into my leg?"

"Nothing. I'm just happy to see you." She grinned. "It's Cassidy's Christmas present."

His eye sparkled with curiosity but he refrained from asking. They walked back towards the camp and Lochie whistled as they reached the hotel rooms. Carl, who had been yapping about something with Carol, dashed over to them excitedly.

"Can I give it to her now?"

Lochie rolled her eyes, digging something out of her pocket and handing it over. Carl took it carefully as if it were made of glass and disappeared in search of Cassidy.

* * *

><p>Cassidy was on watch on the roof, peering into the distance. She cocked her head curiously when Maggie clambered up onto the roof besides her. She glanced up at the sun. She wasn't due off watch for another hour.<p>

"Carl wants you." Maggie informed her with a suspiciously wide grin.

Cassidy eyed her for a long moment and then shrugged, climbing down to find Carl waiting at the side of the building. He looked edgy and she examined him worriedly.

"What's up?"

His cheeks were distinctly pink as he handed over something wrapped in an old t-shirt. Cassidy took it warily, unfolding the neatly tucked in material. She pulled out a sheaf of papers bound in a soft leather cover tied with a rather ragged ribbon. Cassidy stared at the unusual object in amazement.

"Open it." Carl urged, his blue eyes sparkling excitedly.

Cassidy sighed but followed his instruction, unbinding the ribbon and flipping back the soft leather case. It took her a long moment to understand what she was seeing.

"How did you-"

Carl shrugged.

"Me and Lochie did it. We took turns writing it."

Cassidy stared. She had no idea how long it must have taken them to make it, not to mention where they'd managed to scavenge all the blank paper.

"This is… really…" There was a blockage in her throat and she coughed to clear it.

"Do you like it?" Carl asked worriedly.

"I love it." Cassidy breathed, startling him with the obvious display of emotion playing across her face. "Really."

Carl smiled and toed the ground shyly. She wrapped one arm around him and hugged him tightly. They pulled away when Lori's voice echoed around searching for him. He slipped away with a last smile and Cassidy carefully tucked the book back into the t-shirt. Daryl was awake when she crept back into their room.

"What's that?" He croaked, his throat sore from all the sleep he was being forced into.

She handed it to him and he studied it with a frown as she explained.

"Where'd they get a book?"

"They made it." She kicked off her boots and climbed onto the bed. "Lochie has an eidetic memory. She wrote the entire thing down from memory."

Daryl stared at her. It was almost beyond his comprehension the time it would take someone to do that. He could see that Cassidy was affected by it, her hands were trembling slightly as she took it back from him.

"I guess if we're getting all gooey I should give you your present."

Daryl blinked in surprise, squinting up at her as she carefully tucked the book away into her bag. She rummaged around for a moment, then pulled out a sheet of paper. She stared at a spot over his shoulder as she handed it to him. It seemed to take him an interminably long time to unfold the small piece of paper, his fingers wouldn't seem to cooperate properly. Eventually he managed to smooth the page out on his knee. In the centre of the page was a tiny drawing of an arrow. The shaft and delicate feathers were formed by minute words twining intricately into each other. The head of the arrow curved and flared into a dangerously sharp edge.

"It's a tattoo." He could feel her breath on his cheek, she'd leaned towards him to look at the drawing in his lap. "If we ever get out of here, I'm going to get it." He followed her small slender hand as it lifted from her side to touch the smooth patch of skin over the albatross above her heart. "Right here."

Daryl was speechless. He knew the arrow somehow represented him for her, just as the albatross represented her sister. His throat felt full and his mouth was dry. Out of the corner of his eye he saw her reach out to retrieve the drawing and his grip tightened reflexively, the paper scrumpling up in his hand.

"Okay, if you don't like it-" She broke off abruptly when his free hand clenched her hair tightly in his fist and he yanked her towards him roughly.

It was a sign of how sick he was that he had to break away first to catch his breath. Her face was almost as flushed as his but she frowned at him nonetheless.

"You're making yourself worse." She scolded, unlatching his hand from her hair and pushing him back against the pillows.

She tried to remove the drawing from his hand again but he moved it out of her reach, leaning over and tucking the small piece of paper into the pocket of his jeans on the chair by the bed. He tried to grab her again but she slid out of his grip and re-arranged the fallen blankets around him.

"You need some sleep. Throwing up all night isn't exactly healthy."

She flicked his hair off his forehead with a sideways grin, climbing up from the bed. She pulled the raggedy curtain across the window and locked both doors. She could see his eyes glittering as they followed her movements around the room.

"Hey-"

His voice was rough from the mistreatment of his throat while he'd been ill and he paused. She didn't know if he was searching for something to say so she decided to save him from himself.

"Don't worry, redneck. I'll still be here when you wake up."

He frowned as if he wanted to argue with her but he didn't have the energy and she grinned, sliding into the chair besides the bed and propping her bare feet up on the edge of his bed. His eyes stubbornly flickered closed no matter how hard he tried to force them open. His lips pursed in annoyance even as he fell asleep and she grinned. He twitched a little in his dream and his hair fell back over his damp forehead. She brushed it back, running her fingers through his damp hair soothingly. If he'd been awake he would have given her one of those puzzled awkward looks he always got when Carol looked at him with doe-eyes as if he was her personal saviour, but since he was deeply asleep she felt safe enough to indulge in a little girly behaviour for once. He shifted in his sleep, throwing his arm out and coiling it around her feet. She sighed, leaning back in the chair and listening to his steady breathing.

"Merry Christmas, redneck."


	36. Chapter 27

A/N: Don't own (although I'd love to have my very own Norman Reedus :D) don't sue!

Lyrics are from 'Rain' by Patty Griffin

So sorry for the late update, my new job is exhausting! But I'm back on track now :)

**Rain**

**Chapter Twenty Seven**

It's hard to listen to a hard, hard heart  
>Beatin' close to mine<br>Poundin' up against the stone and steel  
>Walls that I won't climb<br>Sometimes a hurt is so deep, deep, deep  
>You think that you're gonna drown<br>Sometimes all I can do is weep, weep, weep  
>With all this rain fallin' down<br>Strange, how hard it rains now  
>Rows and rows of big dark clouds<br>When I'm holding on underneath this shroud  
>Rain<br>It's hard to know when to give up the fight  
>Some things you want will just never be right<br>It's never rained like it has tonight before  
>Now, I don't wanna beg you, baby<br>For something maybe you could never give  
>I'm not lookin' for the rest of your life<br>I just want another chance to live  
>Strange, how hard it rains now<br>Rows and rows of big dark clouds  
>When I'm holdin' on underneath this shroud<br>Rain

_Cassidy staggered slightly as a huge burly guy with his shirt open bounced into her. He stared at her uncomprehendingly, wild eyes darting fearfully at her. He stumbled away without apologising, disappearing into the crowd. She tugged the shoulder of her jacket back up irritably. It was the middle of the afternoon but the only shops that weren't shuttered up had already been looted. The few people surging along the usually crammed streets were rushing by each other warily, bags tucked under their arms full of looted goods or the belongings they couldn't bear to part with. Traffic was still moving but sluggishly, disobeying all signs and light signals in their hurry to leave. _

_Cassidy unlocked the doors to Lochie's apartment. Several people were dashing across the tiled lobby, a woman shoved past Cassidy with a frightened look dragging a small uncooperative child along behind her. Cassidy pushed open the door to the stairway, climbing up the five flights to Lochie's apartment. Lochie was curled up in her bed, rolled into a tight ball right in the middle of the big mattress._

"_Lochie." The ball stirred slightly then went still again. "Lochie, get up." Cassidy ordered abruptly. "We're leaving."_

_A ruffled head of white-blonde curls appeared from beneath the blankets. _

"_We are?" Lochie broke off to give a huge yawn. "Why?"_

_Cassidy crossed to the window. The woman with her child was on the sidewalk outside arguing with a man packing food into the trunk of his car. She didn't seem to be getting very far. _

"_I don't know what's happening, but people are starting to turn on each other. That never ends well." _

_Lochie padded over to stand besides her, frowning down at the scene playing out below them. A fire was burning steadily somewhere in the distance, a car alarm was echoing a few blocks away. Lochie looked at Cassidy. She was frowning, her brow furrowed darkly. _

"_Get your stuff."_

_Lochie did not like the tone of her voice. She scurried over to her scattered clothes. She tossed everything she could grab into her duffel bag, checking her lock-picking tools were in her jacket. It was only as she was passing a mirror that she realised her wig was still on. She unpinned it hastily as Cassidy re-appeared in the doorway with her bag slung over her shoulder._

"_Where are we going?"_

_Cassidy shook her head a fraction. Lochie could feel her blood thundering in her ears. She was brave in her own way, aware of her skills and her ability to pretty much talk her way out of any situation, but anything causing that look in her friend's eye was worth worrying over. _

"_We need to get out of the city." _

"Cassidy. Cassidy! Hey!"

Cassidy blinked blurrily, trying to clear her fuzzy vision. It seemed to take forever for her surroundings to come into focus. Eventually she managed to take in the wet muddy ground underneath her and the puddle of water inches from her face. Looking at her slightly distorted reflection cleared up why she was having trouble focusing. One of her eyes was swelling blue-black and what should have been white was almost completely red. A nasty gash had split her hairline and blood had dried along the length of her cheek and neck, staining her grey t-shirt. Her head was pounding.

"Hey."

She forced herself into a sitting position. Lochie was coiled into a ball a few feet away, the dull light filtering through the leaves overhead made her skin look sickly yellow. Her lip was split and swollen up badly and she was holding her wrist strangely in her lap.

"What happened?" Cassidy managed to get out, pain flaring through her throat as her voice gurgled harshly.

She lifted her hand to her neck. It felt swollen and delicate. She leaned over the pool of water again. Her throat was ringed with long red marks, like fingers, like someone had tried to strangle her.

"Where's Dixon?"

Lochie's face twisted. She crawled across the small clearing to her side, still holding her left wrist delicately. Cassidy reached out to her instinctively, only then realising her hands were bound together. Lochie indicated the frayed rope still wrapped around both of her wrists.

"What do you remember?"

Cassidy shook her head, immediately regretting it when searing pain shot through her skull.

"Going through the trees looking for food. Or lack thereof. Dixon was ahead tracking a deer. You heard a noise-" She broke off, looking down at Lochie who was picking at the knots in the rope with her good hand. "Where's Daryl?"

"What do you think they want?" Lochie said in a small voice. She didn't want to point out the obvious, if these guys had beaten the crap out of two women, what would they do to someone who posed as big a threat as Daryl Dixon?

"I don't know." Cassidy croaked. She didn't like to mention the fact that both of them were still fully clothed and, apart from the beating, relatively intact.

Lochie finally managed to unpick the knots and Cassidy shook out her hands to regain some feeling.

"Why would they bring us here?"

"I don't know."

"They can't want to sell us or anything, right? Why would they beat us up if they wanted to pimp us out?"

"I don't know."

"Do you think Daryl's okay?"

"For Christ's sake, Lochie. I don't know!"

Lochie merely stared at her with huge eyes. Cassidy pushed back her fear and panic over Daryl's conspicuous absence and took as deep a breath as she could manage with her damaged throat.

"We have to get out of here, before we end up as lunch."

Cassidy tried to get to her feet but her ribs were agony and the sudden blossom of pain doubled her up. The two of them hobbled as best they could into the trees. Cassidy had no idea what direction they were heading in, towards the motel or completely in the wrong direction. She usually relied on Dixon for this sort of thing. Her gut twisted just thinking about him but she couldn't let herself be distracted.

* * *

><p>"Does any of this look familiar?"<p>

They'd been walking for what felt very much like miles, hours of forcing one foot in front of the other in a relentless plodding along that didn't seem to be getting them anywhere. Lochie obediently lifted her head and peered at the identical trees surrounding them. She shook her head.

"I'm scared." Lochie whispered, her thin shoulders shaking under Cassidy's arm.

Cassidy pulled her a little tighter against her, masking her wince when she bumped her bruised ribs.

"What if they were coming back for us? What if they tied us up for later?"

"Well we're not there. And if anyone thinks they can get the drop on me twice in one day, they are very much mistaken."

Lochie's smile flickered weakly and Cassidy grinned.

"Can I ask you something?" Cassidy grunted her permission. "Why is it always us?" Lochie sighed unhappily. "Maybe Carol and Lori have the right idea about things. They never end up in situations like this."

"No. And yet they always manage to get kidnapped anyway." Cassidy muttered. "Give me a leg up."

"What're you doing?" Lochie asked in alarm.

"Trying to get a better view of things." Cassidy grunted as Lochie helped her clamber painfully up a tree trunk.

"See anything?"

"A whole lot of fucking trees." Cassidy cursed. "I goddamn hate these motherfucking woods."

"Nice language there, Red."

Lochie squealed and bounced painfully off the tree trunk in her surprise. Cassidy slid down the trunk, catching her stomach on the rough bark.

"Where the fuck have you been?" Lochie demanded, startling all of them with her vehemence.

"What happened to you?" Cassidy asked weakly, gathering her energy to drag herself to her feet.

Daryl crouched down and helped her up. She pushed her hands into his hair, running her fingertips over the nasty bump at the back of his head. Dried blood was matted in his hair, staining the back of his shirt.

"You look like shit." She grinned, wrapping her arms around his chest and squeezing him as tightly as she could until her ribs ached. "Were you worried about me?"

He muttered something grumpily but she didn't care. She was revelling in the feel of him warm and sturdy against her, his distinctive scent flooding her senses. She loved him. She felt weak and vulnerable and so very tired and all she wanted to do was stay right here forever. She could practically feel her carefully constructed walls crumbling away and she didn't care. Right now she wanted someone to take care of her and that was a feeling she didn't think she'd ever experienced before. It took her a moment to steady her emotions enough to pull away from him.

Lochie was sitting on a rotted tree stump being checked over by Rick. Not being used to having the crap kicked out of her on occasion, she looked far worse than she was and Rick was fluttering around her anxiously.

"What happened?"

Cassidy looked at Glenn over Daryl's shoulder.

"I don't know." She sighed grouchily. "I was having a pretty intimate encounter with the business end of a fist at the time."

Rick was poking at Lochie's wrist, which was rapidly swelling to the size of a purple and red grapefruit.

"What did they want?" Cassidy asked Daryl in an undertone as he carefully examined the injuries to her face. "Why did they beat the crap out of us and then just leave us here?"

Daryl ignored her, pushing her hair behind her ear so he could get a better look at her eye. His eyes got darker and darker as they took in the gash on her cheekbone and the purpling bruises around her throat.

"Don't lie to me, redneck. There's a thought rattling around in there. Tell me."

Daryl grimaced, scrubbed his hand over his face and touched her hair again.

"We look pretty healthy."

"Speak for yourself." Cassidy muttered, touching her sore ribs.

"You know what I mean." Daryl glowered at her. "Three pretty much healthy and well-fed people walking around these woods. They knew we had a base around here, somewhere with food."

"That's why they tied us up." Cassidy looked down at the rope still chafing the delicate skin of her wrists. "If they couldn't find our base they needed us to show them." She touched the lump at the back of his head lightly. "How come you got off so lightly?"

"Played dead." He growled.

"Did they find the hotel?"

He shook his head.

"Not yet."

Rick was helping Lochie to her feet, handling her like she was glass and likely to break. It was kind of adorable.

"Something tells me I'm not going to be resting any time soon." Cassidy groaned, letting Daryl take her hand and lead her after Rick and Lochie.

"Yeah. Everyone's freaking out thinking we're going to get raided any second." Glenn almost swallowed his tongue he shut up so fast when Daryl shot him a glare.

"Dixon's right, Glenn." Cassidy sucked in a deep breath of pain as a hidden ditch in the ground sent pain shooting through her ribs and head. "It's only a matter of time. People are desperate. They want to survive, by any means necessary."

"That doesn't sound good." Glenn swallowed uneasily, glancing over his shoulder as if he expected them to be tearing after them.

"We just can't catch a break." Lochie complained bitterly, leaning against Rick as they ducked under a low hanging branch.

"Well, no offense, but you guys don't exactly look ready to take anyone on." Glenn hurriedly back-pedalled when Daryl whirled on him. "I meant Cassidy…"

Daryl's glare only got deeper and Glenn danced around them and darted in front of them out of harm's way. Cassidy snorted with laughter, wincing at the pain it caused, then laughing again at the look on Daryl's face.

"He has a point." Cassidy said quietly, taking a few quick steps to catch up to him. "I'm not exactly in fighting shape. If that's what it comes to-"

"We'll be gone by then." Rick cut her off firmly, his grip on Lochie's shoulder tightening imperceptibly as she shuddered.

"Gone where?" Cassidy pointed out in an undertone.

Lochie glanced at her, then up at Rick who was staring fixedly ahead of them. His face was fixed into a frown, his brow furrowed in concentration. Cassidy had a pretty good idea of what he was thinking; how to move their group in a few hours when they had nowhere to go and no form of transport and half of their group was comprised of complaining useless women. Even Carl could shoot better than most of them. Cassidy felt anxiety flutter in her stomach. She could barely make it down this muddy path with Daryl's help, how could she get them out of this? She felt a rush of exhaustion surge over her pounding head and she leaned sideways against Daryl's arm.

"Oh my god." Carl bit his lip and shot a nervous look at his father but the Sheriff was too distracted by their injuries to discipline his son for cursing. "Are you okay?"

Carl took Cassidy's free arm and draped it along his shoulder. He wasn't much help but Cassidy didn't have the heart to disillusion him so she let him follow them to her room.

"Rest." Daryl ordered, pushing her back onto the end of the bed when she tried to get back to her feet.

"I don't have time to rest." She muttered mutinously, trying to force herself back to her feet. Carl pushed her back down. The two of them stared at him in amazement and his cheeks flushed pink.

"You could have a concussion." Cassidy told Daryl as he tossed their few belongings into a battered duffel bag.

"So could you." He pointed out over his shoulder.

"Are you leaving?" Carl asked worriedly, chewing on his finger and staring at her with those big cow eyes that made her want to hug him.

"We all are." Cassidy touched her sore throat gingerly. "You should go see your dad, find out what he wants you to do."

Carl looked out at the still open door for a moment, watching them all gathering in a group ready to hear the bad news. They'd all known it. As soon as Daryl had blown into the camp a few hours ago, covered in muck with blood all over him and murder in his eyes. He'd marched straight past them all, not stopping until he reached Rick. Whatever he'd said to the Sheriff, he'd gone as white as a sheet and followed him back into the trees.

"They'll all be arguing."

He looked wiser than his years again and Cassidy felt unutterably weary. Daryl muttered something about talking to Rick and stalked out of the room. After a moment he came back, his hands thrust deep into his pockets. He glared at Carl until the boy scampered into the bathroom. They stared at each other for a long moment, then Daryl crossed the room and pressed his lips against her forehead. Before she could blink in surprise, he'd turned and vanished out of the open door. Carl returned from the bathroom with a dripping wet cloth in his hands. He touched her bloodied, muddy dirty face tentatively, apparently under the impression she might swing for him. She smiled, which came out as more of a grimace given the mess her face was in. She held still and let him clean her face and neck.

"So how do I look?" She asked when he was done. He peered at her anxiously. "That bad, huh?"

"Does it hurt?"

She shrugged one shoulder. The one that wasn't attached to her bruised ribs.

"I've had worse." She tried to laugh but that hurt too. "I'm going to need you to help me, kid."

"Anything." He promised eagerly, his blue eyes glimmering.

"I need these ribs bandaging." He looked at her t-shirt curiously, seeing no blood where she indicated. "I have to restrict my movements or I'll make it worse, if I strap them up they'll heal quicker." She pointed at the duffel bag Daryl had left on the floor by the door. "There's some bandages we looted in there."

Cassidy hesitated after Carl had handed her the bandage. On the one hand, she needed to take off her shirt, on the other hand she didn't want to scar him for life.

"Okay I'm going to take my shirt off. You can close your eyes if you want."

Carl snapped his eyes shut. Cassidy managed to struggle out of her ruined t-shirt with some difficulty and muttered curses. When she was ready, she unravelled the bandages and placed the end over her bruised ribs.

"Here. Keep this here for me."

She guided Carl's shaky fingers to the edge of the bandage. He squeezed his eyes shut even tighter, his fingertips barely grazing her ribs. She managed to bandage her ribs well enough herself. When she was done she gave Carl the two end of the bandage and ordered him to tie them in as tight a knot as he could.

"Okay, now get me a clean shirt and we're good to go."

Carl grabbed a shirt from the duffel bag and tossed it to her, still averting his eyes as if her bra were infectious. She noticed, but didn't comment, that he'd given her one of Daryl's shirts. She slipped it on and Carl helped her work her hair into a messy braid. Overall she was feeling and looking a lot more like her usual self when Daryl stumped back through the door. Carl beat a hasty retreat in search of his father. Daryl marched straight over to her, yanking her chin up so he could study her injuries properly. He slid one hand up under the shirt, gingerly exploring the bandages.

"Carl helped me." She got carefully to her feet, feeling every bone start to ache.

"You took your shirt off in front of that kid?" He demanded, his stomach knotting jealously.

"He's thirteen, redneck." Cassidy protested, slipping on her jacket.

"I was thirteen once." Daryl said pointedly

"Really? You didn't just sprout out of the ground fully formed? No way."

Daryl glared. She poked her tongue out at him.

"So what's going on? We running?"

Daryl hoisted the duffel bag onto his shoulder.

"We're running."

* * *

><p><strong>LadyLecter47<strong> – I know I hate it when shows just do the obvious plot stuff, Daryl and Carol would just be too stupid! Oh she will be set very straight, I can't wait :D

**JDMlvr1** – well they couldn't stay mad at each other forever, where's the fun in that? Yeah Carol needs to get her ass kicked and back off my Daryl lol

**C0nt0rt3dM1nd** – I love Carl I think he's awesome, he's got so much potential and they just don't use it!

**FanFicGirl10** – thanks hope you enjoy it

**piratejessieswaby** – thanks, I'd very much like to kill Carol

**ILoveAnime89** – here's your update, sorry for the wait

**GemmaTellerSoa** – well everyone needs Christmas and thanks very much! :D much love

** .H** – glad you liked it

**Icec** – here's the next chapter for you, sorry it took so long

**Dark-n-Twisty** – thanks a lot, I think Lochie's getting a bit too soppy nowadays I might need to bring her back to her sarcastic roots. Don't worry they'll be entering Season 3 territory soon enough :D


	37. Chapter 28

A/N: Don't own (although I'd love to have my very own Norman Reedus :D) don't sue!

Lyrics are from 'Rain' by Patty Griffin

**Rain**

**Chapter Twenty Eight**

It's hard to listen to a hard, hard heart  
>Beatin' close to mine<br>Poundin' up against the stone and steel  
>Walls that I won't climb<br>Sometimes a hurt is so deep, deep, deep  
>You think that you're gonna drown<br>Sometimes all I can do is weep, weep, weep  
>With all this rain fallin' down<br>Strange, how hard it rains now  
>Rows and rows of big dark clouds<br>When I'm holding on underneath this shroud  
>Rain<br>It's hard to know when to give up the fight  
>Some things you want will just never be right<br>It's never rained like it has tonight before  
>Now, I don't wanna beg you, baby<br>For something maybe you could never give  
>I'm not lookin' for the rest of your life<br>I just want another chance to live  
>Strange, how hard it rains now<br>Rows and rows of big dark clouds  
>When I'm holdin' on underneath this shroud<br>Rain

Cassidy caught Lochie's elbow as she stumbled, yanking her upright. She smiled sleepily, leaning against her wearily. Cassidy linked Lochie's arm through hers, taking some of her weight on her un-bruised side. Ahead of them Beth and Hershel were supporting each other in a similar fashion and Carl was almost walking with his eyes closed. They'd been walking for two days straight, only snatching a few hours of sleep at night when it was too dangerous to keep moving and risk losing sight of each other.

"How much further?" Carol demanded, her arm around Lori a few feet ahead of Cassidy and Lochie.

Rick paused, looking up at the canopy of leaves above them thoughtfully. He exchanged a look with Daryl, who glanced back at Cassidy. She tilted her head in a fraction of a nod and he cocked his head in acknowledgement, turning and murmuring to Rick. Rick scrubbed his hands over his face.

"We'll rest for a few. Then we need to keep moving."

Carol narrowed her eyes and pursed her lips. Cassidy's grip on Lochie tightened slightly.

"If she starts whining I will strangle her with her own spine." She muttered uncharitably and Lochie gave a half-hearted giggle.

Cassidy had the feeling that Carol had heard her threat because her back stiffened but she kept her mouth closed. They were too tired to do anything other than drop where they stood. Glenn immediately started snoring, his head propped on Maggie's shoulder. Carl tried valiantly to keep his eyes open but in the end his head drooped onto his mother's lap. Cassidy settled Lochie down with T-Dog, then went in search of Daryl. She found him a few feet behind them amongst the trees, doing his best to disguise the trail a whole parade of amateurs had left behind them. Whilst Rick looked exhausted, big black circles like bruises under his eyes and the lines on his face getting deeper as he got gaunter, Daryl just looked angrier and angrier the more exhausted he got. Right now he looked furious, his sensuous mouth flattened into an angry scowl and his eyes narrowed to mere slits as he worked. Cassidy leant against a tree trunk and watched him. It was soothing to watch him methodically work away, the muscles in his back flexing under the sweat stained dirty shirt. When he was done he came to stand next to her and they stood in silence.

"We're in trouble." Cassidy said eventually.

Daryl grunted but he didn't disagree, a solid silent presence besides her oozing warmth and comfort. She shifted as the shoulder leaning against the tree started to go numb, wincing as pain lanced through her injured ribs at the sudden movement. He eyed her out of the corner of his eye, his scowl curling down into a worried frown. She grimaced, massaging her ribs with one hand.

"How's it feeling?"

She shrugged one shoulder.

"I think I might have broken one." She admitted, gingerly testing the area swathed in bandages.

His face darkened and his hand joined hers, his careful fingers probing as she held her breath. Her face had paled with pain but she didn't flinch out of his reach.

"It feels like there's a truck sitting on my chest." She snapped haltingly as he hit a particularly sore spot.

"No more dumb shit." He snapped back.

She glared, crossing her arms across her chest defiantly. He pinched her chin between his fingers, forcing her to meet his fierce gaze.

"No more squirrellin' up trees like a goddamn monkey, no more rolling in the grass with those kids and no more mouthing off to strange assholes with big fists." She opened her mouth to argue but he squeezed her chin until she glowered. "If something hits this rib in the wrong way…" He jabbed none-too-gently at her bandage. "It could poke a hole in your lung."

She rolled her eyes but he could see by how pale she'd gone that she knew he had a point. She'd almost died once from a punctured lung already, that was probably why her rib had broken so easily again this time.

"It might not be broken." She protested moodily, grimacing when he poked her bruise again. "You do that again and I will be keeping that finger, Dixon."

His lip curled in a half smirk and she grinned.

"Even with a possibly broken rib, I can still take you, redneck."

His grin blossomed into a full smirk, his hand still splayed on her ribs under her crossed arms inching upwards slightly. She tilted her body towards him against the tree, her head tipping back and her mouth lingering underneath his invitingly.

"Seriously?!"

Cassidy jumped, glaring around Daryl's shoulder at Lochie.

"Of course there'd be time for this." Lochie shook her head in disgust. "Come on, Rick wants to keep moving while it's still light." She grimaced as if she could taste something nasty, glowering at the two of them. "If you can keep yourselves apart for that long." She sniffed.

"Wow. The last time I heard a tone like that, my mum had just caught me in the backseat of my boyfriend's car." Cassidy commented idly as they followed Lochie back to the others.

"And so far you've only progressed to groping rednecks in the woods. Real classy." Lochie called over her shoulder.

They managed to get a couple more hours and a few more miles covered before the rapidly approaching darkness forced them to stop. They huddled together amongst the trees, taking it in turns to keep watch. The pain in her ribs kept Cassidy from resting for too long. The next time she woke up, she could see a figure crouched nearby in the impenetrable darkness and she bolted upright. It took her a hazy moment to recognise Daryl. She could just make out his outline and the bright glitter of his eyes, she wasn't sure how she was so certain it was him but she knew she was right. She rolled over, trying to get more comfortable on the hard ground. She could see him better from this position, he wasn't crouching he was sitting against the tree, his knife resting on his drawn up knees.

"What's up, redneck?" She asked quietly.

She knew there wasn't any danger nearby, he was too relaxed for that. Well as relaxed as Daryl ever got anyway.

"Go back to sleep, Red."

His voice was softer than usual, soothing in the complete darkness of the trees, and for once she did as she was told. He heard her breathing change as she slipped into sleep, becoming deep and even. Steady. He felt a little better, knowing she was resting and not running around like a lunatic aggravating her injury. It stilled some of the anger and fear churning in his gut to see her sleeping peacefully, even if it was amongst all this chaos. He could tell her ribs were hurting her even in her sleep because her brow creased slightly between her drawn eyebrows and her succulent mouth pursed every now and then. He was still watching the shifting expressions crossing her face when Glenn relieved him of his watch. Glenn scratched his head sleepily as he waited for Daryl to move. He didn't.

"You should rest, dude."

Glenn coughed awkwardly when Daryl ignored him. Eventually, he rose to his feet and moved around Glenn. He sank down besides Cassidy, stretching out and propping one arm behind his head. He could almost see the stars through the thick black canopy of leaves. The surrounding trees were creepily silent, only the breathing of his fellow sleepers and Glenn rustling every now and then breaking the tense silence. Cassidy shifted besides him, a little almost whimper spilling from her lips as she jogged her damaged ribs in her sleep. She coiled automatically towards his warmth, one of her small hands tucking around his arm and her head tipping onto his shoulder. He could smell her hair, still slightly scented from the last time she'd used shampoo at the motel. The scent and warmth from her body heat seeped into his pores. Her warmth was like a blanket, stretching over him and easing him into unconsciousness.

* * *

><p>It was the conspicuous cold that told him something was wrong. He felt the sudden flush of cool air rush in as she left his side. He sat up, his hand reaching automatically for his crossbow in the dark half-light. They were all still sleeping, huddled together in little pockets. Lochie was curled up like a puppy, her sprained wrist cradled to her chest in her sleep. He scanned the trees nearby, looking for a flash of her distinctive hair. His heart was thundering against his ribcage, fear like a hot burning stone heavy in the centre of his chest. He studied the ground besides him. Cassidy moved like smoke made corporeal, light and delicate and barely there. He could make out the indentation where she'd been sleeping and the marks on the ground where she'd climbed to her feet around the pain in her ribs. He followed the faint marks she'd left behind, stepping soundlessly through the fallen branches and debris littering the ground. He was sure she'd left his side voluntarily but he wasn't taking any chances.<p>

He found her leaning against a tree, one palm splayed on the trunk to support her. She looked like she could barely stand. He approached her warily, the possibility that she'd been bitten spinning around his brain.

"Is that you, redneck?" She didn't sound like she'd been bitten, she sounded grouchy and impatient but her usual self. "Don't just stand there for Christ's sake." Definitely sounded like herself.

He swung his crossbow onto his back, weaving through the trees towards her. She was still cursing him, loudly, and for a minute he wondered how she always knew it was him.

"Who else is going to be trawling around these goddamn trees?" She snapped as if she'd read his mind.

He growled at her, taking the hand leaning against the tree and helping her stand up straight. She glared at him. He looked her over, searching for any new injuries or a reason for her collapsing against a tree.

"What the hell are you doing?" He demanded, wrapping an arm around her waist to steady her.

"I was peeing." She snapped. "When I stood up it felt like my ribs were snapping. Hurt like a motherfucker."

He came to a halt, leaning her back against a tree despite her protestations. It was still pitch black and he had to rely on his sense of touch to verify that she hadn't hurt herself even worse. She stayed surprisingly quiet as he explored, using his fingertips to paint a picture of her ribs in the dark, relying on memories of long nights in his tent to guide him. He didn't think she'd managed to make it any worse, just pulled the bruises the wrong way and pinched her injured ribs.

"Done?" She asked peevishly, although her voice had a distinct husky quality to it.

"I told you to stop risking ya neck, Red."

"I had to pee!" Cassidy snapped, batting his hand away. "Christ, it's not like I came out here to do a dance or something." She pushed away from the tree. "Can I go back to sleep now?" He could practically feel her lips curling, could hear her voice change tone. "Unless you had something else in mind, Dixon?" She purred and he felt one of her hands gliding underneath his shirt, the pads of her fingertips dancing along the planes of his chest.

"Ya ever stop?" He blinked, flustered as always by her brazen need for him.

"With you? Never, redneck."

He could feel her lips whispering along his throat, feather light and intoxicating as her nails exerted just enough pressure to bring up goosebumps. He frowned although she couldn't see it, he could barely see her and she was only inches away, the glint of her eyes and the basic planes of her face all he could discern. He didn't need light; he knew every millimetre of her face. Every freckle, every eyelash, the tiny dimple in her cheek when she smiled, the exact shade of her eyes... it was all imprinted on the backs of his eyelids. But now wasn't the time or the place.

"Let's go."

She gave a little disappointed sigh but didn't argue. He felt her lean against his side in the dark, surprised but not overly concerned when he felt her take his hand. He exerted just a little pressure on her fingers and he felt her smile against his bare arm.

* * *

><p>Lochie woke up stiff and sore from her night on the ground, her face felt like it weighed a hundred pounds and it took her a moment to manoeuvre into a sitting position. Most of them were stirring, working up the energy and the will to keep moving. Daryl climbed to his feet and went in search of Rick, rubbing his face wearily and cricking his joints as he moved. Cassidy stirred the moment his warm bulk left her side, rolling gingerly over and working towards sitting up slowly. Lochie studied her.<p>

"I hope you don't feel as bad as you look."

Cassidy swore at her and Lochie grinned, wincing as she pulled the skin on her split lip. Cassidy looked like hell. Her throat was a riot of yellow and purple bruises, the swelling on her eye had gone down a little but most of her face was still almost black from the bruise. She groaned, holding her ribs with one hand as she got to her feet. Lochie could almost feel her bones creaking in protest as she struggled to get up, holding onto Cassidy's outstretched hand tightly for support.

"Well don't we make a glowing poster for female independence?" Cassidy muttered with a pained laugh as the two of them hobbled towards the others, trying to loosen up their sore tired limbs. "We can barely make it three steps on our own."

She laughed through the lancing pain in her side and Lochie grinned.

"Just think, this could be us if we make it through the next sixty years." Lochie sighed. "Rocking chairs on the porch, a hell of a lot of cats. Children will call us witches." She added cheerfully.

"Speaking of witches…" Cassidy muttered as Lori stomped past with a face like thunder.

Lochie got the giggles and Lori glowered.

"Let's move, I don't have the patience for that bint right now." Cassidy grumbled, linking arms with Lochie and heading over to Beth and Carol for whatever constituted as breakfast nowadays.

"You? Not wanting to argue?" Lochie lifted her eyebrows in disbelief and Cassidy sniffed, looking down her nose with as much dignity as she could muster.

"Not at all." She even tossed her hair to make her point and Lochie rolled her eyes. "I'd be more than happy to tell her exactly what I think of her, using my boot for emphasis, just as soon as I'm back to my usual shape."

Cassidy shot Glenn a death glare as he paused to goggle at her, eyeing the tight fit of her jeans and the smooth expanse of navel exposed by Daryl's shirt tied in a knot on one side of her waist. He scuttled off as Cassidy and Lochie helped each other sit down. Carl brought over their breakfast, looking them over anxiously. Cassidy smiled but she wasn't really looking at him, her sharp green eyes were flickering over his head. Carl knew who she was looking for.

"He's with my dad."

Carl pointed over her shoulder. Cassidy glanced back and then cursed when pain flared through her damaged throat. She didn't need to see him to know what he was doing, he'd be arguing with Rick. They'd be going over the same ground again, literally. The main topic of conversation was the fact that they hadn't found somewhere yet and they were rapidly running out of supplies.

When Daryl and Rick finally joined them, they both looked as unimpressed as each other. Cassidy looked at Daryl with a sinking feeling. He had a resigned look on his face that she knew all too well.

"He's going to go ahead." She sighed to herself and Lochie blinked at her, then across at Daryl who was shovelling down his breakfast.

They finished eating in silence and gathered up their meagre supplies. Lochie wrapped an arm around Cassidy as they fell into single file to follow Rick through the trees. Daryl fell back silently until he was walking besides them.

"I know." Cassidy said before he could quite figure out what he wanted to say. "Just." She bit her lip, looking uncharacteristically uncertain for a moment. "Just be careful, Dixon."

He leaned towards her, his nose brushing her temple and his lips a hair's breadth from her cheekbone, then he vanished into the trees.

* * *

><p>Sorry for the dreadfully late update and all reviews will be replied to in the next chapter as always! I just have to rush off to work right now so please forgive me :D<p> 


	38. Chapter 29

A/N: Don't own (although I'd love to have my very own Norman Reedus :D) don't sue!

Lyrics are from 'Rain' by Patty Griffin

Sorry about the uber late update, it's a little gooey too. Unexpected I know :D

**Rain**

**Chapter Twenty Nine**

It's hard to listen to a hard, hard heart  
>Beatin' close to mine<br>Poundin' up against the stone and steel  
>Walls that I won't climb<br>Sometimes a hurt is so deep, deep, deep  
>You think that you're gonna drown<br>Sometimes all I can do is weep, weep, weep  
>With all this rain fallin' down<br>Strange, how hard it rains now  
>Rows and rows of big dark clouds<br>When I'm holding on underneath this shroud  
>Rain<br>It's hard to know when to give up the fight  
>Some things you want will just never be right<br>It's never rained like it has tonight before  
>Now, I don't wanna beg you, baby<br>For something maybe you could never give  
>I'm not lookin' for the rest of your life<br>I just want another chance to live  
>Strange, how hard it rains now<br>Rows and rows of big dark clouds  
>When I'm holdin' on underneath this shroud<br>Rain

Daryl crouched behind a fallen log, watching the walkers through the sparse leaves. He could take them out pretty easily, wouldn't even need to lose any arrows, but it made more sense to wait them out. He retrieved a hefty rock from amongst the dirt and broken leaves at his feet. There was a broken branch half dangling from a tree trunk on the other side of the clearing, it looked heavy enough to cause a racket, especially if he could land it onto a pile of rocks at the edge of a small incline. He took a breath, studied the branch and launched the rock. The branch wobbled and he cursed, searching for another rock. The branch gave with a loud creak, tumbling down and ricocheting into the pile of rocks. They scattered and rolled down the hill with a loud cracking sound as they bounced off each other. Daryl gave a satisfied grunt, climbing over the trunk and circling around the retreating walkers as they searched out the source of the noise.

He just had to hope they hadn't gotten themselves eaten in his absence. He could usually rely on Cassidy to keep her ass alive but he'd never seen her in such bad shape. Even after her encounter in the bunker she hadn't been this messed up. He could feel worry like a burning hot coal in the centre of his chest. It had taken a few weeks but she was mostly healed up, enough for her to be getting cabin fever and driving him up the wall trying to do something about it anyway. He'd gone on a hunting trip after they'd gotten down to the bare essentials in their current camp. They'd managed to find a small row of houses half hidden by the treeline, they'd cleared out the walkers without too much fuss and it had offered them a roof for a few days. It wasn't a long term solution but it would do for now. In the day and a half he'd been away from them, he'd managed to focus on nothing but the hunt, survival was what he did best and pushing distractions to the back of his mind was second nature to him, but she'd still been there. Niggling at the back of his brain, he hadn't been able to shake her. He could sense her presence a few miles back, a slender wire stretching between them pulled taut by the distance but not broken. He re-traced his steps through the trees, well aware that at this pace he'd never reach them before dark.

"Pretty easy to sneak up on the master hunter."

He whirled into a crouch, crossbow flicking up and levelling at her head. She rolled her eyes. He scowled, swinging his crossbow back onto his shoulder and giving her his most poisonous glare. Sometimes, it was like this girl had no sense of self-preservation at all. She manoeuvred herself down from the tree she was sitting in, moving carefully to accommodate her injuries. Every time he saw the bruises still faintly blooming on her smooth bronzed skin, his guts clawed at themselves angrily. He could feel his anger boiling in his throat and he turned away.

"What're you doin' out here alone?"

He could practically hear her shrugging as she circled around him and headed on down the vague path. She was moving easier, her movements more fluid than they had been although she was still blatantly protecting her ribs. Every time she ducked under a branch or hopped over a ditch in the ground, she hunched over her ribs practically broadcasting her weak spot. Right now he was pretty sure he knew her best in the world and he'd never figured out one of her weak spots before. That made him more nervous than her prancing around on her own. If anyone caught them she'd fight, that was who she was, but even an amateur wouldn't need more than a few minutes to figure out where to hit her so she went down for good.

"You're staring." She chirped over her shoulder without looking back, her hips swaying enticingly in front of him. "Not found us anything, huh?"

He didn't reply. It was obvious he was pretty much empty handed. It was getting colder and colder out, pretty soon there would be even scarcer pickings and they'd have to move on again regardless. He was brooding again. Rick had been unloading on him recently, pacing a hole into the floor and thinking out loud. Daryl was so silent and inconspicuous when he wanted to be, it was almost easy to forget he was there and Rick had been so wrapped up in his worries lately it had all just come pouring out. He blinked when Cassidy whistled quietly, waving her hand in front of his face. She cocked her head, her lips flickering into a smirk.

"You're cute when you're brooding. You get all intense." She popped up onto her tiptoes, brushing his fringe from his forehead and pressing her lips against the frown lines there. "It's adorable." She made a noise at the back of her throat. "Err… sexy. It's sexy. Not adorable."

He pushed her away with a scowl. She laughed it off, her green eyes sparkling in amusement. The sun was rapidly sinking beyond the trees and the temperature had dropped already. Cassidy, in her jeans and an over-sized black t-shirt, gave a delicate shiver. Goosebumps had crept over her bare arms and the patches of thigh bared by the slashes in her jeans.

"Redneck." Daryl flicked her a glance. "Can we go home now?" She slipped her arms around his waist from behind, her breath tickling along the hair at the nape of his neck. "I can think of so many better ways to stay warm."

He hesitated. He still didn't have enough squirrels to feed everyone and they only had a couple more days at the most before they'd have to move on. But the sun was almost fully down now, the temperature had plummeted as if someone had flicked a switch and her warm body was pressed so deliciously against his.

"If we leave now, I promise to give you that massage you like." She wheedled, leaning her chin over his shoulder, her lips just caressing his earlobe. "The one that always ends… messily."

Her hands were warm through his thin shirt, the sensitive skin of his belly tingling at the promise of skin to skin contact.

"Woman, you are-" He broke off as she ducked away from him, hooking her fingers into his belt and yanking him forwards, back towards the camp.

"I'd watch how you finish that statement if I were you, redneck." She purred sweetly over her shoulder.

* * *

><p>Daryl felt her stirring besides him, thrashing suddenly and then stilling. He half cracked open an eye. She was facing him, her features contorted in her sleep. Her brow was all furrows, her eyes rolling beneath her lids and her mouth twisted into a grimace. He blinked fully awake in surprise. She occasionally had nightmares after everything that had happened but she always snapped out of them and went back to sleep with little trouble. She sighed, rolling onto her side and curling into a ball. He threw an arm around her waist, drawing her slightly closer. She gave a shiver that shook her whole body, sighing again.<p>

"It's okay, Red." He mumbled, his voice raw from sleep. "Just dreamin'."

She didn't seem to hear him, shifting around beneath the sheet. She writhed wildly for a brief moment, squirming as if she was trying desperately to get out of something. She bolted upright, sucking in such a deep breath he was slightly concerned she'd never stop screaming if she let it out. She let out few a ragged breaths, panting as if she'd run a mile.

"S'ok." Daryl repeated sleepily. "Ya dreamin'. You're okay."

She lay back down and he could feel her trembling from across the mattress. He propped an arm around her waist and she curled into his side, shivering as if she were freezing cold.

"Nothin's gonna hurt you." He mumbled, pulling her closer until his lips brushed her forehead on the pillow. "I swear."

If he hadn't been ninety five per cent asleep already, he might have seen her smiling dozily at the romantic words so very un-Daryl-like. She snuggled closer, his heartbeat thudding steadily against her shoulder.

"I know." She muttered, letting his warmth and sense of safety wash over her.

* * *

><p>Early morning light pierced through his eyelids at the same time Daryl became aware of a hand caressing his bare chest and belly, feather-light fingernails raking over the trail of hair covering the delicate skin below his belly button.<p>

"What're you doing, Red?" He mumbled sleepily, throwing an arm across his forehead to block out the bright rays.

"I should think it was blatantly obvious by this point, Dixon."

He could practically feel her lips smiling against his other arm from beneath the sheets, her soft lips whispering along the tiny hairs on his arms as she shuffled further up the bed.

Daryl could feel her warm breath fanning against the back of his neck, her cool fingertips dancing along his ribs. Her body pressed against his back, soft and pliant yet firm and well-muscled all the same. He'd never met anyone like this girl. He'd never had anyone but Merle; no one to care for and no one who loved him, even in Merle's strange limited way. Whatever it was that made him want to protect these people, fight for them, even kill for them, it was nothing to what blazed under his ribcage when he thought of her. Or when she was groping him, as she currently was now, driving him to distraction as per usual.

"We don't have time." He muttered grouchily into the pillow.

She sighed and rolled away from him.

"I'm pretty sure you have time." She said pointedly, a wicked grin curling her mouth when he glared at her from under his arm. "I'm kidding!" She sighed and burrowed back down into the quilt. "I don't want to go anywhere, it's too cold."

"That's the point." He scrubbed his hands tiredly over his face. "It's getting colder. We're running out of food."

"This apocalypse just isn't what it used to be, huh?"

He flashed her a glare and she grinned.

"Why do we have to go?" She pouted sulkily, pulling the covers over her head. "Let somebody else go tramping through the trees looking for food for once."

He snorted derisively and she laughed.

"Let's go, before they wake up."

"No. It's too cold." Cassidy argued mutinously, coiling into a ball under the quilt.

She felt the bed dip and a cool draft replace his reassuring body heat as he slipped out from between the sheets. The room was eerily quiet for a few seconds and she tensed. She expected him to whip the sheets from the bed, instead she felt a warm strong hand wrap around her ankle and yank her unceremoniously out of the bed. With a startled squeak she tumbled off the mattress and landed in a heap at his feet. She glowered.

"You know if I'd wanted a load of people to take care of, I'd have had kids. Didn't need an apocalypse to land me with a bunch of them." She grumbled as he pulled her to her feet.

She continued to grumble as she washed in the cold water filling the bathroom sink and pulled on her clothes. Daryl let her grumbling wash over him, the familiar rumble of her voice like white noise as he dressed and checked over their supplies. She'd moved on to grouching about not even getting an orgasm out of the early morning wake up call when Glenn and Rick tapped lightly on the bedroom door and shoved it open.

"We're going to spread out today, try and make it around town. See if we can find somewhere." Rick summarised without preamble.

"Good." Cassidy snapped, emerging from the bathroom tying her hair in a messy topknot on top of her head. She cast the stink eye over Glenn when he blinked at the bare flash of exposed navel under her shirt. "I'll go with you guys, cover more ground." She strapped her knife to her thigh, rummaged around in Daryl's pack and yanked out one of his shirts for extra cover. "Hey baby, dinner on the table when I get back? Thanks, sweetcheeks." She slurred, swatting Daryl on the butt on her way past.

Glenn sputtered with laughter, sidling out of the room when Daryl literally growled at him. Even Rick cracked a smile, telling Cassidy he'd meet her out front and ducking out onto the landing. She turned to Daryl, watching as he checked over his crossbow one last time and slung it over his shoulder. She put her arm around his waist, drawing herself against him. He grunted in surprise at the unexpected display of affection, his hand resting on her waist. She let go almost immediately and he squeezed her bare waist as she drew away.

"Be careful out there, Rambo. I have a bad feeling."

He studied her for a minute, taking in the familiar planes of her face; the long-lashed almond shaped emerald eyes, the slightly turned up nose with its dusting of innocent freckles and the very very familiar mouth.

"Just don't do anything stupid." She snapped, tucking her fingers into a handful of his shirt and tugging on it for emphasis.

"Likewise." Daryl rumbled, untangling her fingers from his shirt and squeezing lightly.

She still didn't leave and he frowned at her. She was so sure of herself, it was disconcerting to see her on uncertain footing. They'd gone their separate ways many times of the weeks and she'd never had this reaction. That must have been one hell of a nightmare. He shifted uncomfortably, scrubbing a hand over his chin.

"You remember the night after you found us on the highway?" She cocked her head, a faint flush creeping over her throat. "Remember what I asked?"

Cassidy gaped at him. They'd been a little bit drunk, well hammered, and the conversation had been bizarre to say the least. But she remembered it. Every single, mainly-slurred, syllable. They'd been more asleep than awake, she'd coiled herself into his side and decided she didn't care if she got eaten as long as she could stay there until it was over.

"You asked me if I loved you." She said quietly, remembering his murmured words disappearing into her hair, that strange sensation when you can't remember if you've imagined it or not.

"You said you trusted me, and that was pretty much the same thing." His eyes were very very blue, his mouth contorted into a grim line and she knew that whatever he was trying to say was being dragged out of him with a rusty hook. "So trust me."

She stared back at him unflinchingly, his familiar bronzed face tilted towards hers, every angle defiant and strong. Her heart kicked against her ribs. These weren't their conversations, they never said things like this to each other it was beyond the two of them. They were relatively emotionally impaired.

"Are you two going to finish sucking face? Daylight's wasting." Lochie called through the door, rapping her knuckles on the wood so hard a few flecks of the chipped paint bounced off and littered the dusty floorboards.

Glenn was blinking at her in amazement, the idea of interrupting Daryl and Cassidy whether they were in the middle of an argument or making up making his stomach shrivel up and cling to his spine. Cassidy rolled her eyes, pressing her lips briefly against Daryl's and dragging a chortling Glenn away. Lochie was still in her pyjamas, literally a set of sky-blue flannel pyjamas with fluffy clouds all over them, her hair in a black cloudy tangle all over her head. She eyed Daryl, absently rubbing sleep from her eyes with one hand.

"What?" He growled grouchily, completely unnerved by the way she looked at him with baffled affection.

"You're so cute." She sighed, yawning widely and turning back down the hallway.

Rick and Daryl exchanged a look. Rick shrugged. The whole Lochie situation was completely baffling to him. He had no idea what was going on between them, Lori's burgeoning pregnancy making things between them awkward in a way it had never been before. In the same way Cassidy and Daryl had still never discussed what was going on between them or what they meant to each other, Daryl and Rick never talked about personal things. Especially relationships. There were some things that just didn't need to be said.

Rick exhaled tiredly, jerking his head towards the depths of the house. Daryl followed him, cracking his neck and mentally mapping out the next section of woods. Cassidy had Glenn in a headlock by one of the cars, Maggie perched on the trunk laughing as she kept watch. She cocked her head, half-turning towards him. They looked at each other for a brief moment, then Maggie said something and Cassidy turned away. He gave a last lingering look, then hoisted his crossbow onto his shoulder and headed into the trees.

* * *

><p><strong> H. Chris. H<strong> – thanks for the nice feedback :) I'll definitely check yours out when I get some time

**GemmaTellerSoa** – thanks

**The Animal's Keeper** – it wasn't a plot hole, chapter sixteen was a drabble to fill the gap during the break it was set before chapter eight

**Ashvarden** – thanks glad you liked it here's a very late update

**LadyLecter47** – thanks very much :)

**piratejessieswaby** – I'm glad :D

**SeverusSnape'sLove** – Merle will be in it have no fear, once I've caught my fic up with the show

**wellshit** – thanks I'm glad you like it

**DarylDixon'sLover** – Lori and Carol are the worst, bleh.

**Maddy-MarieXO **– I know I hate people who just get rescued all the time yuck. To be fair who wouldn't try to get into Daryl's pants

**Missy7293** – I think it'd take more than an apocalypse to get Daryl to talk about his feelings

**MAR76** – thanks

**hideher** – thanks a lot, I plan to make it excruciating I hate Lori so much

**lunasky99 **– yup they will find the prison, not rushing into it just taking my time

**Supernatural Believer** – thanks she definitely needed it.


	39. Chapter 30

A/N: Don't own (although I'd love to have my very own Norman Reedus :D) don't sue!

Lyrics are from 'Rain' by Patty Griffin

**Rain**

**Chapter Thirty**

It's hard to listen to a hard, hard heart  
>Beatin' close to mine<br>Poundin' up against the stone and steel  
>Walls that I won't climb<br>Sometimes a hurt is so deep, deep, deep  
>You think that you're gonna drown<br>Sometimes all I can do is weep, weep, weep  
>With all this rain fallin' down<br>Strange, how hard it rains now  
>Rows and rows of big dark clouds<br>When I'm holding on underneath this shroud  
>Rain<br>It's hard to know when to give up the fight  
>Some things you want will just never be right<br>It's never rained like it has tonight before  
>Now, I don't wanna beg you, baby<br>For something maybe you could never give  
>I'm not lookin' for the rest of your life<br>I just want another chance to live  
>Strange, how hard it rains now<br>Rows and rows of big dark clouds  
>When I'm holdin' on underneath this shroud<br>Rain

"Jesus Christ!" Rick bolted to his feet, grabbing Lochie and steering her onto the dilapidated old couch of their latest haunt.

"I'm fine." She flapped her hands at him. He ignored her, pushing her down onto the couch and tilting her head towards the light filtering through the grimy windows. "Seriously, I'm fine. I had a rough encounter with the business end of a tree branch." Lochie admitted sheepishly.

"Maybe you should watch where you put your feet." Cassidy chipped in from where she was sprawled across an armchair flicking through an old magazine.

"It wasn't my fault." Lochie snapped. "Glenn forgot I was behind him."

On cue Glenn tumbled through the front door, almost tripping over the rug in his haste as he scrambled over to Lochie.

"I am so sorry! So sorry! I didn't even realise… I really didn't!" He whirled towards Rick and then Cassidy as if they were Lochie's parents, stammering out apologies until he could barely get a word out.

"It's alright, Glenn." Lochie sighed.

Glenn eyed the cut on her forehead doubtfully, his face flushing guiltily.

"Apart from almost taking Lochie's eye out." Rick shot Glenn a glance that made his cheeks flush rosy pink. "Did you guys find anything?"

"Nothing. Nada. Zip." Lochie sighed heavily, puffing out her cheeks and slouching back on the sofa.

Rick ran his hands over his face, unsuccessfully trying to hide his disappointment. Lori stirred in her sleep across the room and Lochie shot her a nervous look. Rick glanced at his wife and then turned away as if the very sight of her offended him. He was still crouching in front of Lochie and she touched his shoulder briefly. He gave her a small sickly smile. Lori was more than halfway through her pregnancy by now and usually she stomped around complaining about her back or her feet while Carol and Beth flapped around her trying to find her pillows and urging her to sit down. Every now and then she'd sidle over to Rick and try to talk to him but it never ended prettily. She'd even gone so far as trying to butter up Lochie for information about Rick. Over the long months since the farm Rick had become more and more withdrawn, he barely talked to anyone by this point except Daryl and Lochie. Even Carl could hardly get him talking anymore and he almost never spoke to his mother. He didn't know what had gone on between the three of them, but he sure as hell knew that his father blamed his mother for Shane's death.

"I need to think." Rick murmured, getting to his feet and disappearing into the small enclosed yard at the back of the old house.

They watched him go in silence, exchanging well-worn knowing looks. After a few moments of silence they dispersed. It was routine now, separating into smaller groups to strip the house of what they needed. They boarded up the house and chose their rooms, falling into a watch cycle they all knew by heart. It was routine, it was familiar. Daryl was still out on a food run with Maggie and Cassidy was restless. She tossed aside the magazine and slipped out of the living room. They'd holed up in a tall house this time, three storeys. She knew she'd find Carl on the small landing between the two sets of stairs. He was there, the parts of his father's gun spread out on a t-shirt as he sat cross-legged on the floorboards to polish them.

"Hey, kid." Cassidy held her hands up. "Don't shoot."

Carl looked at her with a frown and she sighed, parking herself next to him.

"How you doing?" She asked him.

Carl shrugged, focused entirely on the parts spread out before him. Cassidy stared straight ahead, eyeing the picture frames hanging neatly on the opposite wall. They were various family shots right out of a movie set. A handsome family of five there were pictures at the beach, skiing, graduation snaps, birthday shots and childhood poses. What looked like twins with their tongues out in their pyjamas holding brightly wrapped birthday presents. Carl followed her gaze after a moment of silence. She saw his intent gaze flickering over each photograph. He was starting to get frown lines and the thought made her inexplicably sad.

"Do you think they made it out?" He asked her, staring intently at a slightly askew picture of a pretty freckled young girl with pigtails and a wide gap-toothed smile.

"Honestly?" Cassidy replied, cupping her chin in her hand and leaning on her knee.

"Honestly." Carl repeated stubbornly. "Tell me the truth. What you think." He looked back down at the gun's splayed innards. "I'm not a kid."

"I think they probably tried to make it. Maybe they did. Maybe they didn't. It's a little easier to survive out here, not as many people ready to turn into walkers." Cassidy shrugged. "Who knows, maybe they're out there somewhere."

Carl looked at her closely for a few minutes, then fixed his attention back on the photos lining the wall. He stared at a picture of the parents, the two of them arm in arm laughing and beaming at the camera. It seemed like a lifetime ago that anyone could ever be that happy and carefree.

"You're different now, you know." Carl said suddenly, turning back to the gun parts. "When you first got to us, you didn't think any of us would stay alive." Cassidy blinked in amazement. "Now, it's like you…" He searched for the right words, his lips pursing as he thought. "You think we might make it."

Cassidy stared at the photos and mulled over his words. Maybe he was right. It certainly did seem as if they were determined to survive. They'd made it this far. They'd actually gotten pretty adept at staying alive lately.

"I like it." Carl gave her a sideways glance. "It means you're staying."

"Don't get all mushy on me kid!" Cassidy teased, jabbing Carl in his ticklish side with her fingers.

Carl squirmed, trying not to giggle. Their movements dislodged the gun parts and they bounced off down the stairs. They stopped wrestling and peeped guiltily over the edge of the bannister at the sound of an outraged squeak from the hallway below them. Maggie glared up at them, rubbing a red welt on her forehead with one hand and dangling Carl's gun in her other.

"Sorry." They muttered in unison, avoiding each other's eye so they wouldn't laugh.

"You better put your gun back together before your watch." Cassidy advised as they drew back onto the landing.

Carl frowned, looking down at his hands in his lap, streaked with thick black oil.

"They don't trust me to go on watch." He mumbled bitterly.

Cassidy sighed. And that was the crux of the situation now, wasn't it? Carl was struggling to find his place in the group as something other than Rick's son. This was why Cassidy hated kids. And men.

"I tell you what, tonight… you take my watch."

Carl goggled at her, his features dropping into a mask of suspicion.

"Really?" He narrowed his eyes.

"Sure. Just don't tell your dad, he'll hit the roof." Cassidy pursed her lips at the crestfallen look on his face. "Just think of it as a trial run, for now."

Carl nodded, scrambling down the stairs to gather up the parts for his gun.

* * *

><p>Daryl woke briefly as Glenn left the room, bouncing his shoulder off the doorframe in the dark. Cassidy was moving around the bed in the dark, pulling on her jeans and searching for a sweater from her memory of the room. He cracked open an eye, watching the separate darkness of her body against the black of the room as she laced up her boots. The zip of her hoody winked in the faint chink of moonlight filtering through the boarded up window.<p>

"Go back to sleep." She whispered in amusement, as aware of his every movement as always.

He grumbled a curse under his breath, practically hearing her grinning at him. She crawled back onto the bed, brushing her lips teasingly over the curve of his ear and grazing her teeth against his earlobe.

"Go to sleep." She breathed huskily, just letting the tip of her tongue breeze against the minute hairs on his skin.

He knew she was deliberately trying to bait him and he cursed at her grouchily, rolling away across the bed. She chuckled, zipping up the hoody and slipping out of the door. He drifted for a while after she'd gone but he couldn't settle. Something was different. He knew the sound of every set of boots in this group and the patterns they used to pace the perimeter while on watch. Cassidy always varied her routes and whatever she was doing now was nothing unusual, but that wasn't what was gnawing at him. Daryl shoved back the blanket and pulled on his clothes. The house was silent except for the various sleeping sounds issuing from behind closed doors as he moved down the hallway. The front room door was half ajar, the big room flooded with moonlight and Daryl paused on the threshold, blinking rapidly. He frowned, slipping back into the dark hallway and turning his feet towards the back door.

"Seriously?"

Cassidy hissed, glowering pointedly at Daryl until he ducked down besides her. She re-focused her gaze back on the house as he arranged his limbs next to her. She had kept her word and, after Glenn had woken her for her watch, she'd left it long enough for him to fall asleep before waking Carl to take over for her. Of course, he didn't know that she'd clambered down the drainpipe and set up in the treeline a few feet out of the yard, using her strategic vantage point to watch both the house and Carl. Daryl squinted at her and she rolled her eyes.

"Look, I think the kid is a good shot and he's aware of his surroundings."

"But you don't trust him on watch?"

"He's a kid." Cassidy could feel Daryl's gaze burning into the back of her neck. "Where's the harm?" She snapped defensively. "He feels better about himself and no one gets hurt because I'm still actually taking my watch. So long as no one tells him…" She glared threateningly.

"Getting soft." Daryl snorted under his breath, shuffling into a better position behind the scrubby thorny bush Cassidy had chosen for cover.

"Are you here for a reason?" Cassidy grumbled. Daryl didn't reply and she glanced at him over her shoulder. "Still not sleeping?"

Daryl shot her a death glare and she snorted, turning back towards the house. Daryl hated showing any signs of weakness and his inability to sleep for more than an hour or two at a time lately was itching at his sanity and pride like crazy. No one else knew about it yet, except for seeing he was even grumpier than usual, but he couldn't hide his disrupted sleep patterns from the girl who shared his bed. The thought made him twitchy, even after everything they'd been through.

"You look like shit." Cassidy tossed out casually, watching as Carl crossed the living room to peer out of the window at a passing squirrel disturbing the eerie stillness of the yard.

Daryl grumbled under his breath and she grinned. Even after a day and a half tramping through the woods searching for food he had still been unable to sleep for more than an hour when he got back. He'd been thoroughly explosive all night until even Carol was avoiding him like the plague.

"Come on." Cassidy climbed to her feet and stretched, easing the tired muscles and rubbing her aching butt. "My watch is over in ten. Let's go."

"Why don't you want him to know ya out here?" Daryl asked as they crept through the treeline and into the yard.

"I don't want to talk about it." Cassidy sighed, jumping the small fence separating the unkempt lawn from the scrubbier grass by the trees. "Just let this one go. Please."

Daryl didn't say anything, holding out his hand to help her jump down the sloping hill. They were too close to the eerily silent house to say anything further as she navigated the side of the house with a ridiculous amount of grace. She was already stripped down to one of his wife beaters and coiled under the blankets by the time he'd made his way through the bathroom window and into their bedroom. He yanked off his boots, jeans and shirt, tossing them in a haphazard pile and crawling in besides her.

"Hi." She murmured, pressing against him and spreading a familiar heat through his whole body. "If I sing you a lullaby will it help you to sleep?" She teased.

"Not your singin', no." He muttered and she gave an outraged little gasp and hurled herself away from him.

He chuckled, wrapping an arm around her waist and hauling her back against him. They playfully tussled for a moment, each failing to get the better of the other before gaining the upper hand. They stopped when they were too breathless to continue, the bed warm and rumpled from their wrestling.

"He's going to move us on tomorrow." Cassidy said suddenly, breaking the comfortable silence.

"Probably for the best." Daryl mumbled sleepily, propping one arm behind his head and lazily watching the crack of moonlight drifting over the ugly wallpaper out of the corner of his eye.

"Probably." Cassidy yawned, stretching her body luxuriously then coiling against his bare chest like a contented cat. "But would it kill him to find us somewhere with hot water this time?"


	40. Chapter 31

A/N: Don't own (although I'd love to have my very own Norman Reedus :D) don't sue!

Lyrics are from 'Rain' by Patty Griffin

**Rain**

**Chapter Thirty One**

It's hard to listen to a hard, hard heart  
>Beatin' close to mine<br>Poundin' up against the stone and steel  
>Walls that I won't climb<br>Sometimes a hurt is so deep, deep, deep  
>You think that you're gonna drown<br>Sometimes all I can do is weep, weep, weep  
>With all this rain fallin' down<br>Strange, how hard it rains now  
>Rows and rows of big dark clouds<br>When I'm holding on underneath this shroud  
>Rain<br>It's hard to know when to give up the fight  
>Some things you want will just never be right<br>It's never rained like it has tonight before  
>Now, I don't wanna beg you, baby<br>For something maybe you could never give  
>I'm not lookin' for the rest of your life<br>I just want another chance to live  
>Strange, how hard it rains now<br>Rows and rows of big dark clouds  
>When I'm holdin' on underneath this shroud<br>Rain

"I feel fabulous." Lochie groaned, throwing herself down into the grass and stretching out. "No, really. A month at a spa couldn't make me feel any better right now."

Cassidy rolled her eyes, busy cleaning the guts off her knives. It had been a rough day, but it was worth it to be able to relax just a fraction for the first time in months. She glanced across the fire, keeping Daryl in the corner of her eye. She could see him talking to Carol and she frowned, ignoring the look Lochie sent her from the depths of the grass besides her. Carol had gotten distinctly clingy lately and Cassidy, whilst not a jealous person by nature, was finding it increasingly difficult to not throttle her every time she cornered him.

"You okay?" Lochie mumbled, trying not to stare at Daryl rubbing Carol's shoulder.

Cassidy shrugged, firmly turning her back on them and sucking back some water, wishing it was alcohol. When Beth started singing, Cassidy politely retreated away from the fire to circle the perimeter. She had learnt to accept the solidarity of the group but singing weird country songs over an open fire was a step too far. She checked over the fence, stepping around dead walkers and debris. The prison loomed behind her, dark and creepy. She clambered up onto the roof of an abandoned laundry truck that must have been overrun at some point. She could see the whole yard from up here, the low murmur of voices by the fire and the faint grumble of walkers in the distance. It was almost peaceful.

She could also hear Carol giggling. She sat down cross-legged on the roof of the van, blocking out the exterior noise and focusing on the danger still staggering around outside the fences. It didn't make her feel any better but it didn't make her feel any worse either.

"Nice place. No really, I like it."

Lochie rolled her eyes, glaring at Cassidy as she chucked a pillow at her. Cassidy nimbly dodged it and grinned as Lochie crawled onto the lower bunk. Lochie winced, trying to arrange herself more comfortably. They'd healed up over the months trekking around but her wrist was still sore at times and Cassidy's ribs were tender with too much movement. Lochie rolled onto her side and peered at Cassidy. The redhead was across the small cell, retying her hair using a chipped oblong mirror still screwed into the wall. She cocked her head, flicking her nail against the reflective surface.

"Guess we got the pretty boy's cell."

Cassidy shot her a look, watching her leaving dirty footprints in a lob-sided pattern on the wall besides the bunk. Lochie was trying her hardest but the closer it got to Lori's due date, the more morose she got. Especially with how things stood between Rick and Lori right now. It was all the very definition of shades of grey. Cassidy had no idea what was actually going on between Lochie and Rick, and she had no intentions of asking. Ever. Something had happened over the past few months since the farm, their wise leader had hardened and become a little harsher with every mile they'd covered, every abandoned house they'd raided, every sign that the world was gone. Cassidy's admiration and respect only grew with every week Rick doggedly kept them alive, kept their hopes burning. She had thought only people like her would survive this; dark people who never really fit into the old world, who only glossed across the surface. Every day Rick and Lochie and Daryl and Carl managed to get up and put one foot in front of the other and hope that eventually it would all work out, that every new morning, even in this hell, was something to be thankful for. She found that she'd never respected anyone more than these people. And she cared. As resistant as she'd been, she cared.

"What?" Cassidy blinked back to the present to find Lochie staring at her in upside bemusement, her head hanging over the side of the bunk.

"What?" Cassidy echoed, feeling her cheeks flush in an unaccustomed blush.

"You've got that thinking line again. Right here." Lochie jabbed a finger between her eyebrows. "Well, line, wrinkle. Whatever you want to call it."

"Bite me." Cassidy snapped, feeling nettled and out of sorts at being caught off guard.

Lochie laughed. She lifted her sound wrist and prodded the underside of the mattress above her.

"I'm guessing you're not going to be up there tonight." She wrinkled her nose, her grey eyes bright against the bronzed dirty skin of cheeks that used to be delicately pale. "Or if you are, I am definitely not staying here. Heard enough of your sex noises to last me a freaking lifetime."

"Well of course I'd love to have sex on the landing of a prison in front of everyone, that's always been a fantasy of mine."

Glenn coughed from the doorway, Maggie standing beside him looked beyond amused and Lochie broke out into giggles. Cassidy shrugged, unconcerned. If people didn't know she was sleeping with Daryl by now, she'd be seriously worried about their level of intelligence.

"Where is His Royal Grumpiness?" She sighed, rubbing her sore tired neck muscles with both hands.

"Pacing. Scowling. The usual." Lochie guessed with a snort, burying her face in her pillow. "Whatever."

"We're clearing out the rest of the block tomorrow." Glenn informed Cassidy as she left the cell, squeezing past Maggie. "Hand to hand."

Cassidy nodded grimly, touching her still delicate ribs without realising it. Chucking bodies around all day had aggravated it.

"Are you going to be alright?" Glenn asked, biting his lip when Cassidy glared and Maggie elbowed him in the ribs.

"Don't worry, I'm pretty sure I can handle myself."

Cassidy circled around them and stalked away across the landing. Truth be told, there hadn't been much time for sparring or training whilst they'd spent months trekking all over the woods and back. She'd kept in shape once her ribs had healed, as best you could when you were eating from day to day anyway. She was pretty sure she still had the edge, but that was a long way from marching off into walker-infested darkness.

* * *

><p>Daryl found her on an isolated landing, running through basic stretches and kick-boxing exercises. He watched for a while, hidden by the shadows as he perched on the railing. He could see the difference as he watched her fluid movements. Before she had been confident and almost a little cocky when she trained, now she was being careful. He could practically see her thinking through her moves before she made them.<p>

"Stop thinkin' so damn hard."

She didn't jump so he knew her senses were still sharp. She finished the exercise before she turned to him, her chest rising and falling rapidly from the workout, sweat sheening her body. She pushed her sweating hair off her forehead. He jumped down from the railing, propping his crossbow against the mesh railing and stripping off his leather vest. He indicated for her to come at him and she smiled grimly, her eyebrows almost disappearing into her hair.

"I've seen you fight and honey, there's no rhyme or reason to it." She cocked her head. "As effective as it is."

The muscles in his cheek flickered and for a second she almost thought he was going to roll his eyes. He clucked his tongue against his cheek and signalled again for her to come at him. In all the many months they'd been on the road together, they had never sparred or trained together. Mainly because Daryl didn't do any of that. So Cassidy gave a little half-hearted jab in his direction. Daryl latched onto her wrist, wrenched it back and twisted her around. He yanked her against him, his chin brushing her shoulder and his breath warm on her ear.

"Thinkin." He let her go and she spun away from him looking furious. "Let go."

She came at him again, stronger this time, driven by hurt pride and anger. She got closer but he still managed to catch her and send her sprawling against the railing with a clang. She huffed, glaring at the ground below them for a long moment. She caught her breath, ignoring the pain flaring in her ribs. Seriously? She was going to get her ass handed to her by a goddamn redneck? Hell no. She'd never hear the end of it. He was smirking at her, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed. When she looked past the smug smirk, she realised that his squinting eyes were worried about her. Her ego flared and she took a deep breath. She drew herself up, searching for that spot in her head she had always been able to retreat to. Daryl was right; she'd been inside her head too much. Fighting was as natural as breathing to her, she might not be in the best shape of her life but her body knew what to do.

Daryl seemed to sense her slipping back into survival mode and his smirk vanished. He jerked his head in a brief satisfied nod. She widened her stance, tipping her head back and smiling dangerously at him. Daryl moved away, shrugging back into his vest and grabbing up his crossbow.

"What's the matter, redneck?" She put her hands on her hips challengingly. "Chickening out?"

He narrowed his eyes and she grinned, rolling her hip to one side. His gaze flickered irresistibly downwards, just as she'd known it would. She strolled across the landing, her bare feet soundless on the metal floor, and tucked her hands underneath his vest. He glowered at her. She smiled right back, her lips curling into a grin. He could feel his body tensing, as attuned to hers as always. She was giving off body heat and pheromones, her distinctive scent curling around his nostrils. She pressed her body against him, the hint of sweat from her work out making him unmercifully aroused. She was biting his ear, something she knew made his knees go weak, and he could smell her hair slipping out of its messy plait. His right hand was gripping his crossbow in a death grip, his other he slipped around her waist. It was impossible to draw her any closer, he sincerely doubted whether you could fit so much as a piece of paper between them right now, but he needed to touch her.

His hand burrowed under her wifebeater, technically his wifebeater, and caressed the smooth skin of her lower back. Her lips were whispering along his stubbly jawline, her cheek scratching against his whiskers. He pushed her lower body against his, growling as she murmured naughty things into his ear.

"Good lord!" Hershel lifted his busy white eyebrows at them, pursed his lips and turned back the way he came.

Cassidy giggled, pulling away enough to meet his eye. Daryl studied her. She was still stunning; the beating she'd taken with Lochie hadn't left any scars but after her experience in the bunker and the beating in the woods, she seemed different. He flicked a lock of damp hair off her forehead and she smiled. There was something a little softer about her. Everyone else had become harder, stronger and tougher around the edges but Cassidy, she'd retained her strength and resilience but she'd opened herself up too. She still kept her distance from all of them, but over the months she'd accepted that they were a part of a group and he was no longer afraid he'd wake up one morning to find her gone.

* * *

><p>"Lochie!"<p>

Cassidy snatched Lochie out of the way just as a particularly wily walker lunged forwards, nearly taking a chunk out of her arm. She squeaked in surprise as Cassidy smashed the walker's head into the wall with bone-crushing force. Lochie flashed her a bright grateful smile as they took the brief respite in the now walker-free hallway. Cassidy swiped her damp forearm across her face, blood and sweat mingling with the dirt. This place was just too big it would take days to completely secure the whole thing. For now Rick was willing to just secure a small area for them to use. Cassidy glanced over her shoulder. The gloomy eerie corridor was empty since they'd lost the others and littered with the bodies of walkers but she couldn't shake the feeling someone was watching them.

"Can we find the others now?" Lochie asked, creeping closer to Cassidy. "I've spent most of my life avoiding places like this." She pointed out as they backtracked towards their new living quarters. "And I'm a little freaked out."

They froze as a blood-curdling shriek darted down the corridors and buffeted their ears. Lochie trembled, her grip tightening on the shovel she'd been using as a weapon. Even in the dim light of the hallway Cassidy could see her face was as white as a sheet. She had gotten stronger and better able to defend herself over the months but it had taken a great deal for her to come out into these dark infested hallways.

"Who was that?"

Cassidy fluttered her hand, indicating for quiet. Lochie clamped her mouth shut, her fingers tightening on the wooden handle so much Cassidy could hear her skin grating against the grain. Once she had a sense of where the screams had come from, Cassidy led the way with Lochie at her heels. A walker surprised her and she hurriedly despatched it with her knife, muffled grunts and anxious voices murmuring calling her onwards into a less dilapidated corridor. A set of double doors flew open and they jumped back, weapons at the ready. Cassidy could not have been more amazed when they staggered out bearing Hershel's weight, blood everywhere. Daryl glanced at her, his face twisted into a scowl. Rick looked thoroughly shaken and he stared at Lochie almost hungrily.

"What happened?" Lochie gasped in horror, falling into step with Rick.

Rick didn't reply, it was fairly obvious what had happened. Cassidy felt the skin crawling on the back of her neck and she turned. Daryl was behind them, his feet planted firmly apart and his entire body rigid with hostility. She came to an abrupt halt. Rick glanced back to see what the hold up was, his face darkening as he took in the situation. He side-stepped Maggie and Glenn, touching Cassidy's shoulder lightly. He'd learnt not to sneak up on her the hard way, after she'd almost dislocated his shoulder one morning. She flicked him a glance over her shoulder, her lips pursed into a contemplative frown as she studied the inmates attempting to stare down Daryl's crossbow.

"Will you take them back to the bunks?"

Cassidy didn't indicate that she'd heard him by so much as the flicker of an eyelash. Her focus was entirely on Daryl and the situation at hand. Rick licked his lips. He knew that if those prisoners moved a millimetre towards Daryl, Cassidy wouldn't hesitate to leap into the fray. She was a part of their group now; she had fought with them and saved their lives more than once, risking hers in the process, but it was still always Daryl. Her shoulders were set and ready, her feet slightly apart as she levered onto the balls of her feet.

"Cassidy." She cocked her head slightly towards him. "I need you to make sure they get back."

It was the closest thing to an order Rick had ever given her and he saw the muscles in her back tightening angrily.

"Please." He amended hastily.

"Please." Lochie echoed, her voice thick with supressed emotion as her eyes darted from Hershel to Rick to Cassidy and back again.

The inmates were gawping at the women as if they'd never seen one before and Cassidy shifted slightly. The thought of someone more brazen than these guys getting their hands on Lochie made her feel nauseous. She stared at Daryl's profile. He was unwavering, his narrowed eyes fixed fully on the threat. Cassidy stepped back, returning to Hershel's side. Cassidy's heart was a block of ice in her chest as she put her back to Daryl. Rick shivered, hoping he could talk this situation down because he did not relish the idea of explaining to Cassidy that he'd gotten Daryl killed.


	41. Chapter 32

A/N: Don't own (although I'd love to have my very own Norman Reedus :D) don't sue!

Lyrics are from 'Rain' by Patty Griffin

**Rain**

**Chapter Thirty Two**

It's hard to listen to a hard, hard heart  
>Beatin' close to mine<br>Poundin' up against the stone and steel  
>Walls that I won't climb<br>Sometimes a hurt is so deep, deep, deep  
>You think that you're gonna drown<br>Sometimes all I can do is weep, weep, weep  
>With all this rain fallin' down<br>Strange, how hard it rains now  
>Rows and rows of big dark clouds<br>When I'm holding on underneath this shroud  
>Rain<br>It's hard to know when to give up the fight  
>Some things you want will just never be right<br>It's never rained like it has tonight before  
>Now, I don't wanna beg you, baby<br>For something maybe you could never give  
>I'm not lookin' for the rest of your life<br>I just want another chance to live  
>Strange, how hard it rains now<br>Rows and rows of big dark clouds  
>When I'm holdin' on underneath this shroud<br>Rain

Cassidy took a deep breath, balanced the knife in her palm, sighted her target, and let the knife fly from her fingers. The wicked little knife whistled as it soared through the air and embedded itself with a thud into the soft plaster of the wall. She pulled it out of the wall with a soft grunt of effort, examining the mark it had left. She winced. She never had been good at knife-throwing. Her aim sucked for a start. This attempt had landed a good eight centimetres from the line she'd drawn as her target. She squinted down at the knife as if it were to blame. A flicker of movement marred the corner of her vision and she froze. Her tense shoulders relaxed a fraction when she recognised the ridiculous hat. What the hell was Carl doing? She lightened her steps on the metal walkway, gliding above him in silence as he slipped away from the group still gathered around Hershel's cell.

She swung over the railing, dangling for a brief moment before landing like a cat on all fours. She followed Carl into the darkness of the prison, bitterly regretting not having more weapons with her. She tailed him at a safe distance, silently despatching three walkers who crept around the black hallways. Carl was taken by surprise a few times but each time he put the walker down with an almost eerie calm and she felt a strange mix of pride and dread as she watched. She waited quietly in the shadows as he raided the Infirmary. She didn't know why exactly she kept herself hidden from him, or why he'd randomly gone wandering into the walker-infested hallways by himself, either way she was inordinately relieved when they reached the safety of the cell block. She stayed in the general area just long enough to ascertain that Daryl was still in the depths of the prison. Then she followed Carl who was stomping away from his mother with anger blazing on his cheeks.

"Hey."

He ignored her completely, continuing to roll a can of unidentified something against the wall irritably. Whatever was inside sloshed unpleasantly as it hit the wall with a dull thud before rolling back along the landing towards Carl. He caught it and rolled it with a little more force this time. Cassidy sat down beside him, leaning back against the mesh railing. She had caught the tail end of the unpleasant argument between mother and son and, whilst she usually left the drama well alone, she was not happy that he'd gone skipping off into the depths of the prison alone. Well, he'd thought he'd been alone anyway. She felt a strange punch of guilt in her stomach and she shifted uneasily. For some baffling reason she didn't like lying to the kid. Of course now that she'd found him looking so absolutely miserable, the lecture had evaporated in her mouth.

"You did good, kid." She said softly, looking across the balcony at the ugly scratched wall.

He blinked, lifting his head and eying her from under the huge hat in amazement. That was clearly not what he'd expected. He tilted his head suspiciously.

"I mean it."

His freckled cheeks flushed and he spun the can around in his hands embarrassedly. Cassidy sighed. She had grown far too attached to the little brat over the months. She sort of sensed a kindred spirit in him, they'd both been stripped of their childhoods through no fault of their own and now had to make the best of what was left.

"I'm not going to tear you a new one about your little field trip." He dipped his head until she could only see the top of the hat. "You know what I'm going to say?"

"It was dumb to go alone." Carl muttered grouchily, returning to bouncing the can off the wall.

"Indeed." Cassidy watched the now thoroughly dented can moving backwards and forwards.

"I could do it."

"I never said you couldn't." Cassidy sniffed, catching the slight curl of his lips. "I'm well aware of what you can and can't do. That's not the point under discussion." Carl dipped his head again. "When you're entering a dangerous situation with an unknown number of hostiles…"

"Take back up." Carl murmured immediately and Cassidy felt a tiny flicker of pride deep in the pit of in her stomach. "I know."

"So don't do it again." Cassidy shook his slender shoulders playfully and he laughed. "I mean it, kid." Cassidy added, more soberly. "Knowing your limits is part of surviving. Don't get yourself killed by your own stupidity."

Carl scowled at her and she grinned, sticking her tongue out and contorting her face. They lapsed into companionable silence for a while, the rolling and sloshing of the can the only noise. Carl glanced down as Beth emerged from the bunk containing her father, leaning back against the wall and covering her face with her hands.

"Are you worried about him?"

Cassidy shot Carl a bemused look.

"Hershel?"

He shook his head, still watching Beth below them.

"Daryl."

Cassidy looked away from the stricken girl and out into the dark depths of the prison. He had disappeared with Rick and T-Dog to sort out the prisoners after telling her in no uncertain terms that she was to stay here. It had been one hell of an argument. Several times she'd sensed Rick outside their bunk, hovering awkwardly wanting to ask them to keep it down but rightly fearing for his life should he do so. Cassidy had been beyond furious at being ordered to wait for them and Daryl had been insistent that the group couldn't lose all of their strongest fighters in one blow. There had been an unknown element burning at the back of his eyes, too. Something she hadn't seen there before. She had almost thought it was fear. They were experts at handling walkers now, the group had it down to the ground but this wasn't just walkers. Daryl trusted no one. She flattered herself thinking maybe he had finally brought himself to trust her over the months, but those prisoners were a whole other story. The argument preceding his departure had been brief but nasty and they had not parted with sweet words as Maggie and Glenn had. But then they never did. Her chest was cold every time it struck her that the last thing she might ever have said to him were harsh words. Cuss words. Insults. In fact she'd been a downright bitch.

"_Ya not goin'."_

_Cassidy snorted, not even looking up from checking over her weapons._

"_I think we're way past this discussion by now."_

"_This is different." Daryl insisted, snatching the knife from her hand to catch her attention. _

"_How is it any different from the thousands of raids over the winter?" She asked coolly, folding her arms and glaring him down. _

"_Ya not goin'." Daryl repeated firmly. "Neither is Maggie."_

"_Don't even do that." Cassidy snapped, resisting the urge to slap him upside his fat head. "Maggie and I are two entirely separate individuals. She's not going because her father is inches from croaking it. And you know if she wanted to go it wouldn't matter a jot whether Glenn said she couldn't or not." Cassidy gave him a glimmer of a smirk from under her lashes. She propped her hands up on her hips and glowered. "Because we don't answer to you. It's not the Dark Ages."_

_Daryl knew she was perfectly capable of going on in this direction for quite a ridiculous amount of time. In fact it was her main homerun swing. She'd browbeat him with her articulate arguments until he was so angry he could hardly get a word out and then somehow he'd find her doing exactly what he'd been trying to prevent her from doing in the first place. He scrubbed his hands over his face tiredly. Jesus H Christ he loved this woman, but she drove him completely insane. She was still talking. Hadn't even paused for breath. His hands flashed out, catching her wrists and yanking her towards him. She stiffened angrily against him. _

"_You. Are. Not. Coming." He articulated every syllable in deadly calm tones, cutting her off when she opened her mouth angrily. "And I don't have time to argue with ya about it."_

_As soon as the words slipped out of his mouth, he knew he'd said exactly the wrong thing. For a second she somehow stiffened even further against him, every single muscle coiled rigid, and then she relaxed and slipped from his grasp. He tried to retain his grip on her but she evaded him with a single look, ice glittering in her eyes. _

"_Fine." Her voice was disturbingly monotone and Daryl shivered. "Run away and play the hero. Just don't expect me to sit around playing your damsel in fucking distress." She took a step away from him, her face creasing in a momentary dark look that made his skin tingle. "I thought you had more respect for me than that." _

_She gave him a look as if she were seeing something in him for the first time, something she didn't particularly like. Rick's boots thumped with a strange tinny echo as he approached the cell, calling Daryl's name impatiently. Cassidy jerked her chin towards the door, her arms folded over her chest angrily. _

"_Better hurry, your master's calling." _

_The look Daryl gave her was downright poisonous but he merely whirled on his heel and stomped away without another word. _

Cassidy snapped out of her daze, the hairs on her arms lifting. Something was going on, Beth was screaming hysterically and there was an almighty commotion in Hershel's cell. Cassidy swung down from the bunk she'd been brooding on, almost knocking Carl over as he scrambled out of his own cell. Carl dashed towards the noise but Cassidy hung back, her eyes automatically searching but there was no sign that they were back yet. The tight iron band in her chest eased somewhat. Lochie clattered down the metal steps behind her, her hair a wild halo and her face creased from sleep. She tripped down the last step and clung onto Cassidy, naked fear emblazoned across her face.

"I don't-" Lochie cut herself off, a confused bewildered expression crossing her face before she tried again. "I want-"

"No." Cassidy took hold of Lochie's elbow, turned her around and pushed her back up the stairs.

"I need-" Lochie stumbled up another step, that same horrific pained expression all over her face as she looked over her shoulder.

"No you do not." Cassidy said firmly, pushing her more firmly until her feet automatically moved up the metal steps. "You don't need to see whatever is going on."

She shoved Lochie up the last step, forcibly turned her towards her cell and manoeuvred her onto the bottom bunk. Lochie was trembling from head to foot, her body shaking so badly the bunk shivered beneath her.

"You've seen enough." Cassidy said, a little more gently, pushing Lochie's hair back from her face.

"Stay with me?" Lochie asked shyly.

Cassidy nodded, nudging her onto her back and folding her up into the blankets like a child.

* * *

><p>Daryl had checked over every entrance and peeked into every cell at least three times. He couldn't put it off any longer. He hitched his bow more securely onto his shoulder and climbed the stairs. She was coiled in amongst the nest of blankets and pillows and sheets they'd commandeered, well technically Lochie had commandeered. He had hoped she'd be there but he hadn't actually expected it. She was sitting against the wall with her legs propped up against the railing. Her bare legs. Her long bare legs under one of his sleeveless shirts. He forced himself not to stare with great difficulty. He carefully deposited his bow and sat on the top step to strip off his boots. His initial pleasure at finding her waiting for him was rapidly dissipating as she proceeded to completely ignore him. She seemed to be focused entirely on her book as if it held all the answers in the world.<p>

Scratching at a mosquito bite inside his shirt, Daryl winced as the dried blood on the thin material caught on the edges of the nasty wound he'd received bouncing off a broken steel door and re-opened it. He heard the pages rustle behind him and he knew she had seen the gash oozing fresh blood. He waited curiously but she didn't say a word. Daryl slumped down grouchily into the blankets, feeling unutterably sorry for himself. Cassidy continued to read, or at least pretend to, for a while. But she couldn't help herself, as much as she'd rather poke out her own eyes than admit it. She poked him sharply in the shoulder and he glared. She merely glowered right back, making a movement with her fingers. He followed her direction and rolled onto his front with a grunt. He lay on his front without uttering a word as she cleaned his wound, her hands rougher than they needed to be to remind him that she was still angry.

"I'll sleep with Lochie tonight." She said tonelessly when she'd finished, tossing the bloodied rags away.

Daryl lifted his eyebrows and leered at the suggestion and she rolled her eyes irritably. He heard her climbing to her feet and he rolled over, sweeping her feet out from under her with his feet and catching her against him as she tumbled down in surprise. He locked his arms around her, tightly enough to hold her in place but enough to allow a minor struggle. She lay rigidly beneath him, her back pressed the length of his body.

"Let go of me." She grumbled, twisting her face away as he tried to kiss her. "I'm still angry."

"No ya not. Ya just grouchy I took you down." He chuckled, his stubble scratching deliciously against the tender skin of her throat.

"Don't be ridiculous." She snapped, glowering mutinously as her body melted under his caresses. "You did not take me down."

"Ya down ain't ya?" He murmured against her pulse point, using his body to anchor hers a little more snugly into the blankets to prove his point.

Cassidy locked her leg around his knee and whipped him onto his back with an echoing clang as his body hit the metal balcony.

"Don't flatter yourself, redneck." She grinned, coiling her fingers into his hair and tightening her grip until he half-grimaced in pleasurable pain. "I could handle you any day." She breathed against his earlobe, her lips caressing the shell of his ear.

"Prove it." Daryl challenged, his fingers biting into the skin of her wrists where she was still tugging at his hair.

He yanked her hands away, lurching into a sitting position so he could finally reach her lips. He kissed her with burning branding intensity, his hands sliding under her vest top and touching bare skin hungrily. She shoved him back down so hard his skull bounced off the floor and he glared. She smiled wickedly, practically purring as she traced her nails around the contours of his chest. He bunched his hand into her hair and yanked roughly, practically throwing her over. She laughed even as minor pain danced along her skin from the impact.

"Can you guys keep it down up there?!" Lochie's irritable voice distracted them into breaking apart.

She untangled herself from his embrace and climbed into the nest of blankets they'd scattered in their wrestling match. Daryl discarded his torn shirt and lay back against the mound of cushions, clothes and their escape packs. Cassidy curled into his side and he knew the argument was forgotten.

"What happened with the prisoners?" Her voice was soft, her breath whispering against his bare skin.

She listened in silence as he relayed the day's events, telling her everything that Rick had left out earlier. She took it all in without commenting, mulling over the unlikelihood that this would have a happy ending. She'd known something had gone on of course. Rick could never hide what he was thinking no matter how hard he tried, the fact that something had happened had been emblazoned all over his face from the second they'd returned. He'd been forced to kill, again. No matter how justified the action had been, she knew it would prey on the Sheriff's mind. Daryl had drifted into a semi-doze and he grunted in his sleep, hauling her a little closer against him. She tightened her grip on his waist, listening to the steady thrum of blood pounding through his chest.


	42. Chapter 33

A/N: Don't own (although I'd love to have my very own Norman Reedus :D) don't sue!

Lyrics are from 'Rain' by Patty Griffin

**Rain**

**Chapter Thirty Three**

It's hard to listen to a hard, hard heart  
>Beatin' close to mine<br>Poundin' up against the stone and steel  
>Walls that I won't climb<br>Sometimes a hurt is so deep, deep, deep  
>You think that you're gonna drown<br>Sometimes all I can do is weep, weep, weep  
>With all this rain fallin' down<br>Strange, how hard it rains now  
>Rows and rows of big dark clouds<br>When I'm holding on underneath this shroud  
>Rain<br>It's hard to know when to give up the fight  
>Some things you want will just never be right<br>It's never rained like it has tonight before  
>Now, I don't wanna beg you, baby<br>For something maybe you could never give  
>I'm not lookin' for the rest of your life<br>I just want another chance to live  
>Strange, how hard it rains now<br>Rows and rows of big dark clouds  
>When I'm holdin' on underneath this shroud<br>Rain

Cassidy stirred, brushing Daryl's fingertips from the back of her neck. She felt him chuckling against her and she grunted grouchily. He threaded his fingers into the waves of her wild hair, blowing warm air along her sensitive hairline. She felt her skin beginning to prickle, goosebumps sprawling across her skin. She shook one shoulder in a half-hearted attempt to dislodge him. His grip tightened on her hair and his teeth nipped the delicate nape of her neck. His hand slid the length of her bare arm where it was thrown over the swell of her hip. She tensed slightly, her breath catching and she felt his grin against her bare shoulder as his hand glided smoothly beneath the blankets. Giving up all hope of going back to sleep, she rolled over with a mumbled curse. His mouth was half curled into a smirk as she glowered at him.

"It's barely past dawn." She grumbled, scrubbing a hand over her eyes. "I only got off watch a few hours ago."

"They'll be up soon." His gruff voice was muffled, his mouth busy about her neck.

"I know. Morning roll call."

Now that she was awake, she was taking more interest in his warm hands kneading the soft toned flesh of her bare thighs and the sharp scratch of stubble contrasting deliciously with his wickedly soft mouth against her pulse point.

"We don't have time for that." She said sternly, trying and failing to glower at him as he gave her a slow sleepy-eyed grin full of promise.

"Sure we do." He yanked her closer, burying his face in her sweetly scented hair and pressing every inch of his impressive muscled body against her.

"Yes I'm sure _you_ do." She said pointedly, finally reciprocating his caresses to his evident and growing pleasure.

He bit her neck sharply, not quite breaking the skin but causing a bolt of heat to shoot through her entire body. The prison was echoingly silent around them; only the distant huffling of Hershel's snores, the faintest rustling of sheets and the creaking metal beds as people shifted in their sleep breaking through.

"Well…" Cassidy bit down on Daryl's lip, momentarily sucking until he stifled a groan and she let go. "If we're going to do this, redneck…" She shifted her bare thigh between his, pressing against him. "You're going to have to be…" Her tongue flickered against his ear. "Very…" She nipped along the length of his throat with her teeth. "Very…" Her hand slid into his jeans and he sucked in a whistled breath through his teeth. "Quiet."

Daryl rolled over, pinning her beneath him with his hip. He yanked her hands up and pressed them into the pillow. She grinned, hooking her legs around his waist for leverage.

"Worth a try." He murmured challengingly and she giggled.

* * *

><p>"Daryl? Hey, Daryl."<p>

Cassidy groaned, burying her head in her arms.

"Is there no way to get some sleep in this joint?" She grumbled uncharitably.

"I'm sorry." Rick apologised sincerely, peering down at her solemnly. "I need Daryl."

Cassidy sighed into the pillow, running her hands through her wild crazy hair and rolling into a sitting position.

"Don't we all."

She realised Rick was looking very strange around about the same time she felt a draft and she shook her head, yanking the blanket up around her chest which effectively dislodged a mutinously muttering Daryl Dixon. Seemingly oblivious to his nakedness, Daryl scrubbed his hands over his face and into his hair.

"Alright. I'm comin'." He grumbled, scrabbling squinty-eyed for his discarded jeans.

Rick politely disappeared to speak to Carl while Cassidy tugged on some jeans and a cropped black top with a faded Stone Roses logo on the front.

"You comin'?" He asked over his shoulder as he buttoned up his sleeveless grey shirt.

"Nope." Cassidy pushed her hands through her hair and coiled it into a knot on top of her head. "I'm taking Lochie on a hunt for the Warden's office, see if we can put her lock-picking to good use and scrounge up some info."

"Be careful." Rick said immediately, rubbing his stubbled chin against his hand distractedly as he climbed the stairs.

"Aren't we always?" Cassidy snorted, lacing up her boots.

She got to her feet just in time to see the two men exchanging a look over her head. She stuck out her tongue and Rick managed to crack a smile, albeit very briefly.

"Have fun with your fences." She called out gaily, pressing a lingering kiss on Daryl's lips as she sauntered past them to wake Lochie up.

Lochie was sprawled very indelicately across the bunk, one arm thrown over her face and her mouth wide open. Cassidy chewed her lip to prevent a giggle. She crouched down until her face was level with Lochie's and stared at her intently. It only took about a minute for Lochie to sense something was different in her cell and she cracked open an eye. Cassidy beamed at her and she shrieked in shock, rolling away and tumbling off the bed in a heap. There was a series of loud clatters as various occupants of various cells stumbled out of bed and dashed to her rescue brandishing a surprising array of improvised weapons. They skidded to a halt on the threshold, taking in the bemusing sight of Cassidy bent double with laughter on one side of the cell and Lochie still scrabbling to extricate herself from the tangle of blankets on the other.

"What the hell-" They parted silently for Rick and Daryl to approach, peering bleary-eyed at each other in confusion.

"Did you really have to scream the place down?" Rick sighed, although even he looked as if he were fighting a laugh.

Lochie finally tore herself free of the blankets and sat in a furious heap at the side of the bed with her hair sticking up every which way and her over-sized t-shirt dropping off one shoulder.

"She scared the crap out of me!" She accused, tossing a pillow at Cassidy who had finally managed to stop laughing.

"I didn't do anything." She protested innocently, catching the pillow with one hand.

Rick shook his head, shooting Cassidy a chastising look and leading Daryl away. The rest of them scattered to prepare for the day, yawning and in some cases giggling. Cassidy helped Lochie to her feet, still chortling to herself and brushing off Lochie's mumbled curses.

"Oh come on, it was hilarious. I needed that." Cassidy sighed as Lochie continued to swear at her as she buttoned up her skin-tight camo pants.

"Well I'm glad I could provide you with a laugh." Lochie sniffed, yanking on a black sweater.

"Me too." Cassidy giggled, completely unrepentant as Lochie zipped up her boots.

She slung her arm around Lochie's shoulders and dragged her out of the cell, still chortling to herself.

* * *

><p>They were deep into the prison when the alarm started sounding. At first Lochie thought a bomb had gone off the sudden switch from silence to ear-piercing wailing was that abrupt. Cassidy must have thought something similar because she grabbed her and tossed her to the floor rather unceremoniously. Lochie lay silently as Cassidy crouched over her, sharp eyes scanning the black hallway.<p>

"Up." Cassidy ordered, her voice cutting through the godawful wailing.

Lochie jumped to her feet, the beam of the torch she was carrying swinging wildly as her hand shook. She would never get used to this. Never. Cassidy had her knife in one hand and a stick taken from one of the dead guards in the other.

"This racket is going to bring those bastards down on our heads." She stared intently into the darkness ahead of them. "We need to find somewhere to hole up." Lochie's mind flickered briefly to thoughts of the others but there were miles of black hallways between them and she forced herself to concentrate on the matter at hand. "Stay near the wall, two steps behind me at all times, enough room for me to manoeuvre and you to run if we have to."

Lochie wanted to protest that she would not be running away and leaving her best friend to fight for her life alone, but Cassidy cut her off with a sharp glare. Lochie swallowed. Cassidy was in full survival mode. She was not currently her best friend but something else. She stiffened her spine.

"You stay back. You watch what's coming up behind us. If you have to, you run." Cassidy ordered coldly, her words cutting through the blaring noise like a knife. "Let's go."

After everything they'd been through, all the horrific situations and terrible things they'd seen, Lochie had never experienced anything like this. It chilled her to her bones. The noise blocked out any of the tell-tale shuffling and every corner they turned had Lochie expecting a cold dead hand with an iron grip to clutch her shoulder. They were ambushed several times but each time Cassidy despatched the walkers with silent efficiency before they could get too close.

"Here." Cassidy stopped suddenly outside a door.

Lochie dropped immediately onto one knee and went to work, the torch dangling from her mouth. Sweat trickled from under her hair as she concentrated, her fingers slippery on the little metal tools. The door crunched and Lochie shoved it open, swinging the torch around the small oblong room. There was no movement. Cassidy closed the door behind them, sweeping the room with her eyes. There was a small barred window built into the stone wall which illuminated the room enough to show that it was empty. A scratched and scarred plastic table ran through the middle of the room with several uncomfortable looking chairs grouped around it. There was a built in countertop with a broken coffeepot and smashed cups littering its surface on one wall and a cracked TV amidst a pile of magazines and newspapers on the ground on the other side.

"It's a break room for the guards." Lochie realised.

Cassidy gestured and she jumped into action, grabbing the other end of the table and helping Cassidy shove it against the door as a makeshift barricade.

"Now what?" She said, wrapping her arms around herself.

"We wait." Cassidy shrugged, grabbing one of the plastic chairs she righted and straddled it facing the door.

* * *

><p>"Cassidy?"<p>

Cassidy glanced across at Lochie. She was sitting on the worktop staring out of the tiny window. She was very pale. The alarm had stopped a while ago but Cassidy had insisted on staying put for now. Lochie wasn't sure what she was waiting for, but she trusted her enough to go with it.

"I'm scared."

Cassidy didn't look across at Lochie again, she was staring intently at the barricaded door. She hadn't moved a single inch since they'd blocked the doorway, merely sat and studied the doorway with her shoulders set and her feet firmly planted. There was a minor clatter as Lochie clambered down from the worktop. She sat down on the dirty ground besides Cassidy's chair, crossing her long legs underneath her.

"Yeah. Me too." Cassidy murmured.

"Really?" Lochie gazed up at Cassidy, studying her curiously.

Her hair was pulled into a tight messy knot on top of her head, exposing the delicate skin of her neck and shoulders. Her back was ramrod straight, her arms resting on the back of the chair, the knife held securely in her hand. Her lips were drawn into a frown of concentration, her eyelids lowered. Cassidy was not classically beautiful, but there was definitely something about her. Something that drew you in and put you under a spell, Lochie had witnessed it herself on various occasions, envied it numerous times. Cassidy was at her most attractive when she let go; when she was laughing with Carl or indulging in a rare private moment that wasn't horizontal with Daryl, but there was something equally stunning about her when she slipped on her soldier face. It was like she transformed into a whole other person. Her face became still and impenetrable, her eyes darkened and shuttered up completely and her entire body became one fluid coil of muscle. Lochie loved Cassidy more than anyone else on this entire planet; she'd kill for her, bleed for her, it had even crossed her mind once that she might be a little in love with her. But, girl crush aside, she still didn't really know her.

"Are you scared for us, or for him?" She asked quietly, forcing herself not to think of Rick.

Cassidy cut a swift glance down at Lochie, her eyebrows slightly lifted. Lochie knew that whenever Cassidy thought about Daryl, her body underwent certain changes that betrayed her; her eyelashes fluttered and she moistened her lips and blood flushed over her cheekbones. Not to mention the increased heart rate. Lochie had stopped finding it amusing and started getting wistful. Cassidy still lit up whenever she saw Daryl and he was only ever calm when he was with her. Even after this long.

"I think it's time you admit it, dude." Lochie couldn't help the grin that spread over her face, even given the dire situation. "You're in love with that pain in the arse redneck."

Cassidy glowered, turning back to the door. Lochie looked away. She didn't want to think about Rick. Really didn't want to think about what was going on out there. She was still close to Rick, even though it infuriated Lori, he came to her and he talked to her in a way he couldn't talk to anybody else in the group. Lochie had put away her feelings as best she could and tried to be there for him, to listen to his pain about Lori and Shane and the baby and everyone they had lost. They had only slipped once.

"_What're you doing way out here?"_

_Lochie glanced at Rick over her shoulder. They'd set up a camp in an old wooden lodge buried deep in the trees, Maggie, Glenn and T-Dog had gone to raid a nearby house with half the roof missing, Daryl and Cassidy were off somewhere supposedly hunting but probably having some alone time, Lochie had wanted a break from Lori and Carol talking about the baby so she'd slipped away into the trees. It was absolutely freezing and she was bundled up in layers of clothing but the leaves and branches cracking and snapping beneath her boots would be warning enough if any walkers approached. She was actually enjoying it; the peace and quiet, the beautiful trees sparkling with frost and the solitude. She sucked in a deep lungful of cold crisp winter air. Rick's dark jacket against his stubble made his face looking paler than ever. He was tired and stressed. He'd been worrying himself stupid about them surviving the winter and Lori nearing the end of her pregnancy. _

"_Just taking some time." Lochie sighed, her breath pluming out before her in a visible cloud. _

"_Time for what?" Rick asked distractedly, his sharp blue eyes scanning the surrounding trees._

"_To live." Lochie smiled when his eyes darted towards her, his brow furrowing. _

"_What are you doing out here?" She asked, drawing patterns in the frost on a nearby tree trunk with a gloved finger. _

_Rick started to reply, then closed his mouth and rubbed his hands over his face. Over the past few months they had rarely interacted alone, except for the few hours of snatched solitude where Rick unburdened himself and Lochie listened patiently. He would find her alone and sit down beside her, staring forwards with such intensity it must have been painful. And he would talk. _

"_Are you okay?" She asked, still not looking at him but at the dark bark of the tree emerging beneath her fingers. _

_She could practically hear him shrugging behind her. She really hoped that he hadn't followed her for another therapy session. Usually she was glad to help him any way she could, but last night she had lain besides Cassidy and Daryl and she had heard them murmuring and giggling and teasing in the few hours they had between their different watches. It had made her chest ache and her eyes burn. She couldn't deal with the mechanics of being there for Rick when she couldn't be with him. Not right now. _

"_It's getting colder." Rick observed quietly, thrusting his hands into his pockets and staring at the white sky above them through the branches. _

"_We'll survive." Lochie murmured. "We always do."_

"_Do you think they'll bring any food back?" Rick asked absently, and Lochie knew he wasn't really paying attention to what he was saying._

"_If they can leave each other alone for five minutes." Lochie snorted. _

"_They're in love." Rick said with a woeful look and an almost bitter twitch of his mouth. _

"_Lucky them." Lochie said sadly, wishing Rick would leave her alone even though she knew that she wouldn't recover the pleasure she had been taking in her walk. _

"_Maybe."_

_Lochie half-turned to look at him over her shoulder, puzzled by the darkness in his voice. _

"_You don't think finding love in this hell is a good thing?" _

_Rick was frowning so deeply the grooves were casting shadows against his cheeks. His eyes were black as he brooded. He looked so distant and pained that Lochie didn't even think through her actions, she pressed her mouth to his. Rick's hands were surprisingly warm even through Lochie's layers, his fingers digging into her waist. Lochie's arms were around his neck, her legs stretched to their extreme as she tipped onto her tiptoes for better access. He was kissing her hungrily, his mouth working feverishly against hers, his body pressed the length of hers. The air seemed to freeze around them, their bodies locked together creating a bubble of heat and energy. Lochie's heart thundered whenever she was around Rick but now it seemed to have slowed. It was almost as if her entire body wanted to preserve this moment; she could feel the sluggish beating of her heart, the expanding and shrinking of her lungs, the blood surging through her extremities. _

"Lochie."

Lochie snapped rudely back into the present and she shifted her shoulders slightly trying to reacclimatise. For a brief moment she had actually felt the icy winter air around her, felt Rick's mouth warm and greedy against hers, his hands anchoring her to the ground. It took her a few seconds to return to reality. Cassidy was alert, her head was cocked slightly and her mouth was pursed.

"What is it?"

Cassidy didn't reply but suddenly she was on her feet. Lochie blinked in surprise.

"Let's go."

Lochie gaped, wondering what Cassidy had been waiting for that she'd missed. They shoved the table away from the door and pressed their ears against it side by side. Nothing but eerie silence greeted them and Lochie counted their simultaneous breaths as they waited.

"Okay."

Cassidy gestured and they slipped out into the hallway. Lochie was a very good thief and the blueprints for the corridors they had traversed hours earlier were imprinted on her mind, yet it seemed to take a remarkably short time to return to the living quarters. There was a thick silence like a noxious cloud and Lochie shivered, her hand latching onto Cassidy's arm automatically.

"What happened?" She asked nobody in particular in a quavering voice.

Beth appeared in the doorway of her cell, her eyes red from crying. She told them in haltering statements in a voice raw with pain. T-Dog. Cassidy felt a splinter of pain. She had genuinely liked T-Dog and their banter had always made her laugh. Lochie gave an involuntary little twitch at the mention of Lori. Cassidy put her arm around her, but her focus was elsewhere; she was scanning the block intently.

"Where are they?"

Glenn appeared, wiping blood from his neck with shaking hands and hollow eyes. Hershel wasn't far behind and the three of them looked at each other. Cassidy withdrew her arm from Lochie's neck.

"Go find Carl, Lochie."

Lochie opened her mouth to protest, then snapped it shut with a clack when she saw Cassidy's expression. Cassidy followed them to a more private corner, her heart thumping against her ribs. If he'd got himself in the shit, she'd throttle him with her bare hands. Glenn filled her in a little more on what had happened to Lori, what had happened in the courtyard and what they thought had happened to T-Dog and Carol. Cassidy waved him off, she could not care less what happened to Carol, and hurried him onto what she really needed to know.

"Where are they?" She repeated impatiently, crossing her arms to prevent herself shaking the man she'd started to think of as a friend.

"Daryl is with Maggie, they're looking for something to feed the baby with."

Cassidy exhaled, relief blossoming in her belly before swelling rapidly into annoyance. Why did he always have to be the freaking hero?

"And Rick?"

Hershel and Glenn exchanged a look. The silence grew into something else entirely and Cassidy pushed her hands through her hair and over her face. Poor Rick. Poor Carl. She walked away from Glenn and Hershel without waiting for a reply. She found Lochie and Carl sitting on the metal steps, the baby cradled in Carl's lap. Lochie was talking quietly, her murmur low and comforting as she stroked the baby's soft downy head, but Carl was staring at the baby with a black expression on his face. Lochie looked up at Cassidy. There were teartracks on her pale cheeks and her eyes darted all around Cassidy hopefully. She was looking for Rick. Cassidy could almost see her heart sink with disappointment. She shrank into herself a little and excused herself.

"She's worried about my dad." Carl said suddenly, lifting his head enough to watch Lochie's departing back.

"She is." Cassidy sighed and sat down a few steps down from him. "You are. I am."

"This is my sister." Carl indicated the baby sleeping fitfully in his arms.

"I figured." Cassidy shifted uneasily. She wasn't good with babies. They were boring for a start.

"So… your mom…" Cassidy paused, pondering what to say. "Look… I'm not going to lie and say it's all going to be okay, because it won't be. And I won't say you'll get over it, because you won't. And you won't wake up one day and feel better; it's going to feel like a punch in the guts for the rest of your life. But somehow, you're gonna learn to live with it, because you have to." Carl looked at her, grief raw and painful all over his young face. "You're strong."

Carl blinked in amazement when she stroked his freckled cheek gently, her eyes softer than he'd ever seen them. She gave him a brief smile and climbed to her feet, descending the steps. She paused and half-turned back to face him.

"If you need to talk, kid. Talk, or rant, or throw a few punches, you know where I'll be. I kinda like you, kid." She laughed mirthlessly and rolled her eyes as if she couldn't believe she'd even said it.


	43. Chapter 34

A/N: Don't own (although I'd love to have my very own Norman Reedus :D) don't sue!

Lyrics are from 'Rain' by Patty Griffin

**Rain**

**Chapter Thirty Four**

It's hard to listen to a hard, hard heart  
>Beatin' close to mine<br>Poundin' up against the stone and steel  
>Walls that I won't climb<br>Sometimes a hurt is so deep, deep, deep  
>You think that you're gonna drown<br>Sometimes all I can do is weep, weep, weep  
>With all this rain fallin' down<br>Strange, how hard it rains now  
>Rows and rows of big dark clouds<br>When I'm holding on underneath this shroud  
>Rain<br>It's hard to know when to give up the fight  
>Some things you want will just never be right<br>It's never rained like it has tonight before  
>Now, I don't wanna beg you, baby<br>For something maybe you could never give  
>I'm not lookin' for the rest of your life<br>I just want another chance to live  
>Strange, how hard it rains now<br>Rows and rows of big dark clouds  
>When I'm holdin' on underneath this shroud<br>Rain

"I'm worried about Rick."

Cassidy hammered the last of the pins securing the fence into place and climbed to her feet. She'd been working with Glenn, Maggie and the prisoners all day going over the fences surrounding the immediate area around their living quarters. They'd cleared out the new walkers and re-structured the fences in tense silence for the best part of an entire day. The hard work seemed to help Glenn and Maggie through their issues with what had happened. Cassidy had volunteered to help to get away from the miserable tears inside the prison. She was ill-equipped to deal with either the tears or the screaming child. She had seen Daryl only briefly during the night. He and Maggie had returned with supplies for the baby, he had fed the baby in a brief womb-fluttering display of manliness disguised in gentleness, and then crawled into bed besides her without a word.

_She woke the instant his hand touched the blanket, letting in a soft gust of cooler air as he crawled in besides her. His bare skin was cool and she knew immediately that he was still upset because he didn't press against her as he usually did. She could see the reflection of the dim light they kept burning reflecting off his eyes as he stared broodingly up at the ceiling._

"_Hey." She murmured, snuggling a little closer into his side._

_He grunted, his arm coiling automatically around her shoulders, his fingertips tracing absently over her bare shoulders. She stroked his hair back from his forehead soothingly, the strands drifting through her fingers._

"_It's okay." She whispered, propping her chin on his bare chest to look at his face. "We'll work it out." _

_His face twitched and he looked away. She knew he was thinking about Carol and she let the subject go, allowing him to grieve in his own angry way. He had almost become their protector in the past few months, earning the implicit trust of the entire group, but he'd seen it as his own personal mission to protect Carol since he couldn't deliver on his promise to bring her daughter back to her. It was a complicated emotional process that he wasn't used to dealing with. She held him tightly, stroking his hair and pressing feather-light kisses onto the tips of his fingers as they stroked her shoulders. _

Cassidy wiped sweat from her face and rubbed her sore chapped hands on her jeans. Lochie was standing on a slight incline gazing down at them fearfully. She'd been having trouble keeping warm since she'd heard about T-Dog, Lori and Carol and she looked young and vulnerable in a genuinely huge hooded sweater over her black jeans. She was fiddling with the cuffs of her long sleeves, staring at Cassidy entreatingly with huge eyes.

"I'm really worried about Rick." Lochie repeated.

Cassidy sighed, glugging back some of the water Lochie had brought her and passing the bottle on to Glenn. She studied her friend unhappily. Lochie's face was pale, her eyes were red and swollen from tears and there were marks like bruises circling them from lack of sleep.

"I know." Cassidy climbed the hill towards Lochie, touching her arm. "He needs to work it out. Go a little crazy for a while." Cassidy swept her hands over her face, wondering how to put it into words. "He's going to have to want to come back. Right now he doesn't."

Lochie chewed her lip viciously to keep it from trembling, looking away from her. Cassidy squeezed her shoulder again. Lochie scrubbed her face with the sleeves of her sweater and turned away.

"I don't know what to do." She said miserably. "I'm so scared."

Cassidy actually startled the tears right out of her by throwing her arms around Lochie's shoulders from behind. She hugged her friend tightly, her chin on Lochie's shoulder. After a moment, Lochie patted her arms and Cassidy released her.

"Go on. Piss off and do something useful." Cassidy shoved Lochie forwards and she couldn't help but crack a smile as she trotted off back to the prison.

Cassidy watched her go for a moment, before turning back to the fences. Glenn and Maggie were watching her, Glenn's eyebrows lifted so high they had disappeared under his hat. Cassidy glowered, holding her hand out for the water bottle. Maggie passed it over.

"What?" Cassidy snapped as Glenn continued to stare at her curiously.

"You've got soft in your old age." Glenn observed with his usual daft sense of honesty that led him to blurt his thoughts before he'd processed them.

"Fuck off." Cassidy tossed the bottle back at him so hard it winded him as it plowed into his stomach. "And get back to work."

Maggie looked away to hide the small smile as Glenn rubbed his stomach weakly and jumped out of Cassidy's way as she stomped past. He bounced into the fence with an almighty clang and the prisoners hurriedly stifled their laughter.

"Not that soft yet, huh?" Maggie snorted, helping Glenn right himself again by tugging on his arm.

* * *

><p>Cassidy ducked into the main living area for long enough to grab a bottle of water and a flashlight from their supplies, her gaze staying automatically up to their little nest even though she knew he wasn't there. She gave herself a little shake and headed out into the depths of the prison. She knew where Lori had died but by the time she got there, there was nothing but blood and darkness.<p>

"Where are you Rick?" She mumbled uncharitably under her breath as she checked the hallway for movement. "Whoa." She surveyed the carnage calmly, a flicker of worry starting to burn at the base of her spine. "Okay… follow the creepy walker road." She muttered, shining the flashlight over the trail of dead walkers blocking her path.

She had to hand it to Rick, he'd done a thorough job of clearing the place out; she didn't encounter any trouble in the hours she wandered around the prison searching for him. She finally found him crouching on the ground in the middle of a hallway, staring at the hallway as if it held all the secrets in the universe.

"Sheriff?" She ventured warily, not at all liking the crazy glint in his eye. "Rick?"

Rick completely ignored her, continuing to stare at the wall with intense concentration. Cassidy stared at him sadly. She understood now why Lochie was worried, but she also knew that no one could help Rick now, he had to pull himself back from the edge himself. Cassidy crouched and placed the still three quarters full bottle of water on the ground in plain view. Rick was still on his haunches staring into space when she turned away from him.

* * *

><p>Lochie's head popped up hopefully the minute Cassidy re-emerged into the living quarters, her face drooping sadly when no Rick followed her. Cassidy had missed dinner trekking through the prison, so by the time she crossed the threshold back into their areas it was almost sundown which meant curfew time. By the time they'd reached the prison, ninety-nine-per-cent of the group had submitted willingly to Rick's leadership with only Carol grumbling to Daryl every now and then. When he had decided on the curfew of lights out at sundown, there had been few arguments; no one had wanted the flickering lights to be seen through the small barred windows. Of course Daryl and Cassidy did their own thing in their own way so Rick had not passed comment the first time he'd seen them in their nest murmuring by candlelight.<p>

She kicked off her boots and stripped her weapons. Daryl pushed her dinner towards her in silence as she settled down cross-legged with her back against the metal railing. He was cleaning his bow, his face twisted with concentration as his strong capable hands worked the delicate metal. She ate her cold dinner and he worked on his crossbow in companionable silence, watching as the lights winked out below them as their companions retired to their bunks.

"You find him?"

Cassidy nodded, swigging some water down and eyeing him idly over the bottle. He was studying his bow closely, lifting it to his eyelevel to ensure he'd greased it up enough.

"Yeah."

Her reply hung between them for a while as Daryl finished his task and Cassidy watched him quietly. She loved to watch him work on his bow, loved the way his entire being focused solely on what he was doing. His brow pulled down shading his eyes yet making them all the more vivid beneath his growing shaggy fringe, his sculpted mouth drawn tight as he concentrated emphasising his cheekbones.

"And?"

His gaze darted across towards her. She shrugged, meeting his direct gaze without flinching.

"He'll either come back… or he won't." Cassidy rubbed her hands over her face and then climbed to her feet. "He can only pull himself out."

Daryl grunted and returned to his bow. Cassidy wriggled out of her jeans and climbed into the tangle of blankets. Daryl propped his bow carefully up against the metal railing, still within grabbing range, and kicked off his jeans. He grunted appreciatively as he flopped into the blankets, digging his fingertips into the back of his aching neck. It had been one hell of a long day. Leaning his head back on his folded arms, he watched Cassidy brushing out her hair. Cassidy was not a vain girl, even though she was one of the most stunning girls he'd ever seen, she took very little interest in her appearance, but brushing her hair was a little luxury she allowed herself. Every night she sat and she used a big thickly bristled square brush to brush her long molten locks into a smooth shining river of vivid red. Her hair was so long by now it nearly reached the small of her back. It seemed almost therapeutic to her, the long smoothing strokes destroying the tangles and knotty snarls. It had started to become therapeutic to him too, the candlelight glimmering on the crimson waves almost hypnotic. Finishing with her brushing, she twisted and weaved her hair into a long thick rope, coiling it into a messy knot on top of her head. Facing away from him, her vest-top exposed a lot of her back and he watched the flickering orange light play on her slim muscled back.

He reached out and tracked his fingertips lightly over her shoulder blades as her muscles flexed with the dexterous movements of her hands, following the curve of her spine through the thin cotton of the vest. She flexed her back into his touch and he slipped his fingers under her vest, feeling goosebumps erupt against the pads of his fingertips. She arched her back like a cat as he caressed the small of her back, brushing over the lace of her underwear. The fourth time his thumb dipped lightly into the band of her panties she visibly shivered and he felt the muscles in her back contract.

"Tease." She grumbled tetchily and he grinned.

He coiled an arm around her waist and hoisted her down into the tangle of blankets with him. She resisted him a little, just enough for some pleasurable wrestling to take place and he grunted as she jabbed her knee between his bare thighs, exerting just enough pressure to flicker between uncomfortable and pleasurable.

"Come on now, Red." He growled and she flashed him his favourite wolfish grin.

"You're at my mercy, redneck." She was coiled over him, her lower body pressed flush against his, her thigh pressed tightly between his. "You're mine. Don't ever forget it."

She dropped her head enough to blow warm air against his earlobe, a certain weakness of his. Her teeth grazed his neck, his distinctive taste flooding her tastebuds and sending her heart beat racing. Her hands were sliding under his sleeveless shirt, tracing lingering patterns over the muscles of his taut stomach with her long nails.

"You need a trim, lass." Daryl murmured, deliberately provoking her and she rose to the bait exactly as he'd hoped.

"Oh. Do I?" She pressed her nails deeper into his skin, writing her name across his navel. "I could say the same to you." She tugged on a lock of hair curling over his forehead and he scowled. "Don't worry, I like the hippy look." She winked, laughing when he flipped her off of his thighs and rolled over amongst the blankets.

* * *

><p>Daryl blinked, momentarily puzzled about what had woken him. He squinted at the guttered out candle directly in his line of sight. He kept perfectly still as he took stock. He could hear the distant snores, metal beds creaking and blankets rustling of the others. But he knew that wasn't what had woken him. He rolled over, drawing his bow towards him in one fluid movement. He was alone on their perch, the blankets tucked neatly back into place to cover the gap. His heart stopped pounding quite so rapidly as his brain pieced together that Cassidy had left their bed voluntarily and in her own time. He sat up, scrubbing one hand across his face tiredly.<p>

He paused just long enough to pull on his jeans and grab a flashlight before padding soundlessly down the steps and into the depths of the prison. Following a hunch he turned away from the spooky black corridors and headed out into the yard. The moonlight was bright enough for him to have no need of the flashlight and he tucked it into his back pocket. It didn't take him too long to find her; she had not strayed too far from the main doors and had avoided the fences as best she could. She was tucked in a corner. He scouted out the area out of habit but he knew she would have already taken care of any threats.

He watched for a while, the moonlight was almost blindingly bright and had turned her bare limbs pearly white. Despite the chill still lingering in the early hours of the morning, Cassidy was only wearing sweat pants and a vest top. She stretched and coiled and bent and twisted in a silent rhythm, strengthening and testing her muscles and her balance. As always he found it mesmerising. Her hair glimmered in the moonlight as she turned towards him. The moon was behind her and her face was in shadow as she crossed the small section of grass to stand by him.

"I couldn't sleep." She said by way of explanation. "You couldn't either."

It was a statement not a question and he didn't reply, his gaze flickering over her shoulder towards the freshly dug graves in the distance. Her palm, warm from her exertions, curled against the plane of his cheek and he knew she could feel his gritted teeth.

"Oh Redneck." She sighed, staring up at him with big liquid eyes.

Daryl remained in stony silence, his guts in turmoil. He didn't know how to find any words. Carol had meant something to him, what he wasn't quite sure but he felt her absence deeply. Cassidy gazed at him miserably, their mutual inability to confront their own emotions sitting between them like a solid cloud of darkness. Cassidy watched him in silence, her head tilted slightly. Moonlight illuminated her bare skin, glimmering off her slightly pursed lips and turning her hair to molten silver. Heat suddenly burned at the base of Daryl's spine, fire rippling in his belly. He'd lifted his free hand, clenched it into her hair and yanked her against him before he'd even realised what he was doing. Cassidy made a startled sound but it was swallowed against his mouth. His hand was fisted roughly in her hair, his other arm crushing her against him so tightly she could hardly move. He was overtaken by sudden heat, by the desperate need to remind himself that he was alive. He was vaguely aware that he was probably hurting her, his bow digging sharply into her back and his lips and tongue working ferociously against her own, but she made no noise of protest and she was soft and compliant in his arms.

Suddenly they were kneeling, his bow to one side and his hands fiddling feverishly at the ties on her sweats. She allowed his rough ministrations, calmly unbuttoning his jeans as he tugged impatiently at her loosened trousers. He yanked them off and discarded them with a grunt, barely pausing long enough to free himself from his jeans before he was pushing apart her knees. It was over in minutes and he lay in her arms while his heart thundered in his ears and his breath gusted over her bare shoulder. She held him tightly, smoothing his hair back from his damp forehead. Daryl dropped his head until his forehead rested against her collarbone. He could hardly believe what he had just done. They were rough together sometimes but he had never been like that, nor so blatantly selfish. He had barely given her the chance to get used to the idea before it had been over.

"Don't start." She grumbled, poking him sharply in the shoulder.

He lifted his shaggy head and peered down at her. She was flushed but did not look traumatised or afraid. He frowned.

"Don't start beating yourself up." She warned him.

"I—"

"I'm telling you." She interrupted, clenching her inner muscles suddenly and making him shudder against her. "You haven't done anything wrong."

"I just-"

"And I let you." She cut him off again, giving him a mildly irritated glower. "I didn't exactly fight back now, did I?" She sighed, trailing her fingers lingeringly over the top of his exposed buttocks. "I told you, Dixon. I'll take you any way I can get you. You're mine. And this is obviously what you needed."

He stared down at her. She was right, he had needed it. His entire body was buzzing, his blood tingling and electricity crackling over every inch of skin where their bodies touched. He felt alive. She was grinning smugly up at him and he felt the familiar lurch in his stomach, that craving to wipe that smirk off her face and replace it with naked quivering need. His body was way ahead of him and her grin dissolved as she clenched her thighs a little more tightly around him.

"Round two?" She murmured hopefully, gazing at him from under her lashes.


End file.
